Synonyms of adopt

adopt

verb

ə-ˈdäpt 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• borrow
• embrace
• cultivate
• assimilate
• take up
• follow
• take on
• espouse
• incorporate
• utilize
• use
• imitate
• pick up on
• copy
• appropriate
• absorb
• usurp
• foster
• domesticate
• take over
• honor
• raise
• cherish
• heed
• naturalize
• affect
• simulate
• quote
• treasure
• nurture
• pretend
• arrogate
• assume
• prize
• put on
• bring up
• rear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abandon
• relinquish
• surrender
• forsake
• give up
• reject
• renounce
• disown
• abjure
• repudiate
• spurn
• discard
• jettison
• throw away
• throw out
• abnegate
• junk

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb adopt differ from other similar words?

The words embrace and espouse are common synonyms of adopt. While all three words mean "to take an opinion, policy, or practice as one's own," adopt implies accepting something created by another or foreign to one's nature.

forced to adopt new policies

In what contexts can embrace take the place of adopt?

Although the words embrace and adopt have much in common, embrace implies a ready or happy acceptance.

embraced the customs of their new homeland

When might espouse be a better fit than adopt?

While in some cases nearly identical to adopt, espouse adds an implication of close attachment to a cause and a sharing of its fortunes.

espoused the cause of women's rights

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of adopt

In the first half of the 1970s, the band’s members adopted such colorful stage names as Bert Camembert, Bloomdido Bad de Grasse and Hi T Moonweed. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025

More than 50 other countries have already adopted the one-dose schedule, and many experts hoped that the United States might follow suit this year. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 19 June 2025

Graczyk later adopted the play for the big screen, with Robert Altman directing a cast that included Sandy Dennis, Cher, Karen Black, and other A-Listers, some of whom had appeared in the Broadway production. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 19 June 2025

Online viewers quickly joined that call, offering to adopt, donate or help spread the word. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025