# adopt

/əˈdɑpt/ (US) · /ɐdˈɒpt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/adopt
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a child or pet

verb · CEFR B1

to legally take a child or an animal into your family and treat them as your own.

For teachers: to legally take another's child or a shelter animal and bring it up as one's own. Transitive; requires a direct object.

- After years of waiting, the couple was finally able to adopt a baby boy.
- The agency works tirelessly to ensure that children in the foster care system are eventually adopted into stable and loving permanent homes.

### 2. an idea or method

verb · CEFR B2

to start using a new plan, system, or way of behaving.

For teachers: to choose to take up or follow a specific course of action, belief, or methodology.

- The school decided to adopt a new teaching method to help students learn faster.
- The board of directors voted unanimously to adopt the revised safety protocols across all manufacturing facilities to mitigate insurance risks.

### 3. a name or identity

verb · CEFR B2

to start using a different name, title, or way of speaking.

For teachers: to assume a specific attitude, name, or identity, often for a particular purpose or period.

- The writer chose to adopt a pen name to keep her private life separate.
- During the undercover operation, the detective had to adopt the persona of a wealthy investor to gain the suspects' trust.

### 4. gaming slang

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang · Informal

to beat an opponent many times in a row in a video game.

For teachers: to defeat an opponent decisively and repeatedly, typically ten times consecutively, in a competitive gaming context.

- He got adopted after losing ten matches straight without winning once.
- The professional player managed to adopt his rival during the livestream, much to the amusement of the thousands of viewers watching the set.

## Examples

- They decided to adopt a child from a local agency.
- The school board voted to adopt a new curriculum that focuses more on digital literacy and coding.
- While the artist initially resisted digital tools, she eventually chose to adopt a minimalist aesthetic that combined traditional ink sketches with modern graphic software.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.