What does "adopt" mean?

1. (a child or pet) to legally take a child or an animal into your family and treat them as your own. 2. (an idea or method) to start using a new plan, system, or way of behaving. 3. (a name or identity) to start using a different name, title, or way of speaking. 4. (gaming slang) to beat an opponent many times in a row in a video game.

adopt

US //əˈdɑpt// UK //ɐdˈɒpt// adopt

1 a child or pet (v.)
B1 Intermediate

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

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

Example

After years of waiting, the couple was finally able to adopt a baby boy.

Example

The agency works tirelessly to ensure that children in the foster care system are eventually adopted into stable and loving permanent homes.
- take in
- foster
- abandon
- disown
2 an idea or method (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

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

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

Example

The school decided to adopt a new teaching method to help students learn faster.

Example

The board of directors voted unanimously to adopt the revised safety protocols across all manufacturing facilities to mitigate insurance risks.
- reject
- discard

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3 a name or identity (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

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

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

Example

The writer chose to adopt a pen name to keep her private life separate.

Example

During the undercover operation, the detective had to adopt the persona of a wealthy investor to gain the suspects' trust.
- assume
- take on
- drop
- shed
4 gaming slang (v.)
C2 Proficiency Slang Informal

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

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

Example

He got adopted after losing ten matches straight without winning once.

Example

The professional player managed to adopt his rival during the livestream, much to the amusement of the thousands of viewers watching the set.
- dominate
- crush

Origin

From Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad + optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- + opt.