adoption
noun
adop·tion
ə-ˈdäp-shən 
plural adoptions
1
: the act or process of adopting someone or something: such as
a
: the act or process of adopting a child
couples who are interested in adoption
About three-quarters of private domestic adoptions are now "open," involving some degree of ongoing contact between adoptive parents, adoptees and the birth family …—
Sydney Trent
Sydney Trent
b
: the act or process of adopting an animal as a pet
dogs and cats available for adoption
The global pandemic saw a boom in pet adoptions …—scoop.co.nz
scoop.co.nz
c
: the act of beginning to practice or use something
the adoption of new technology
The versatility of the henley shirt can be seen in its early adoption by rowers and how it has been worn since.—Emma Fraser
Emma Fraser
d
: the act or process of giving official acceptance or approval to something
the adoption of measures to reduce emissions
2
: the state or condition of being adopted
She is their daughter by adoption.
Examples of adoption in a Sentence
the company wants to speed up its adoption of new technology.
Our adoption of local customs has gone slowly.
The lawyer has handled countless adoptions.
children who are available for adoption
the unanimous adoption of the resolution by the Senate
Recent Examples on the Web
These highly regulated, intricate environments are where adoption achieves scale and economic power coalesces.
—Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The higher revenue was driven by an increase in revenue per user, thanks to the adoption of the Microsoft 365 E5 enterprise tier and Microsoft 365 Copilot products.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Officials say collaboration will help speed adoption while maintaining safety and quality.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adoption
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The higher revenue was driven by an increase in revenue per user, thanks to the adoption of the Microsoft 365 E5 enterprise tier and Microsoft 365 Copilot products.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Officials say collaboration will help speed adoption while maintaining safety and quality.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adoption
Cite this Entry
“Adoption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adoption. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adoption
noun
adop·tion
ə-ˈdäp-shən
: the act of adopting : the state of being adopted
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