as in to borrow
to take for one's own use (something originated by another)
shortly after moving to the U.S., the family dutifully adopted the American tradition of having turkey for Thanksgiving
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Recent Examples of adopt
Hosts sometimes have an argumentative style or adopt rhetorical strategies such as irony, jokes, and humor.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
In the film, Otone (Ayase Haruka) and Kensuke (Yamamoto Daigo) adopt a humanoid android (Kuwaki Rimu) who resembles their late son, Kakeru.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 13 May 2026
Most of his office’s ideas, which the Herald/Times obtained from public records, weren’t adopted during this year’s regular legislative session.
—Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
This policy was inspired by similar legislation adopted in other states, such as Maine, and in countries like the United Kingdom, which have placed resale caps and imposed penalties to protect consumers.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for adopt
Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
In the film, Otone (Ayase Haruka) and Kensuke (Yamamoto Daigo) adopt a humanoid android (Kuwaki Rimu) who resembles their late son, Kakeru.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 13 May 2026
Most of his office’s ideas, which the Herald/Times obtained from public records, weren’t adopted during this year’s regular legislative session.
—Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
This policy was inspired by similar legislation adopted in other states, such as Maine, and in countries like the United Kingdom, which have placed resale caps and imposed penalties to protect consumers.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for adopt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adopt
Verb
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Governments can keep costly fuel subsidies by cutting spending from other priorities like welfare, or borrow more and risk higher inflation, said Endut in Kuala Lumpur.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
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Smith and Santana's complaint claims the movie borrows heavily from the real 2016 narcotics investigation by the Miami-Dade police department, in which officers discovered nearly $22 million in cash hidden inside a home.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Verb
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When cable television eventually was embraced by Hollywood and Wall Street, Turner bragged about having gotten there first.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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Football, too, was brought to colonies by conquerors, only to be embraced by the conquered and remade anew.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adopt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adopt. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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