as in borrows
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 adopts
If the Aurora City Council adopts the commission’s recommendation, data centers would only be allowed in general industrial zones, not in limited industrial zones or in office, research and light industry districts.
—
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Her decision to team up with Hayley, an assistant at Tender, in the scheme to secretly videotape johns as future blackmail material, after it had been done to her and Henry, is another instance in which Yasmin adopts the tools used to hurt her to injure others.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
In 2014, political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page observed that the public has little influence over the policies our government adopts as policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Senate Bill 1 not only adopts the most stringent allowable aspects of the new federal law, known as HR 1.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 Feb. 2026
The proposal, approved on first reading on Tuesday night, would be implemented as soon as the end of March if the City Council adopts it on final reading, a vote that appears likely, given the lack of opposition now that Calvo holds the mayor’s office and has consensus support on the council.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Lack of fiber is a major reason the microbiome adopts a configuration associated with poor aging.
—Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2026
Their Eyes adopts the documentary mode and is narrated entirely by crowdworkers—specifically, annotators contracted to segment and label images to create training data for self-driving cars.
—Farren Fei Yuan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Morina’s direct style — following Shaban and Hatixhe closely, highlighting the physicality of their labor — adopts the matter-of-fact attitude of his protagonists.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Her decision to team up with Hayley, an assistant at Tender, in the scheme to secretly videotape johns as future blackmail material, after it had been done to her and Henry, is another instance in which Yasmin adopts the tools used to hurt her to injure others.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
In 2014, political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page observed that the public has little influence over the policies our government adopts as policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Senate Bill 1 not only adopts the most stringent allowable aspects of the new federal law, known as HR 1.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 Feb. 2026
The proposal, approved on first reading on Tuesday night, would be implemented as soon as the end of March if the City Council adopts it on final reading, a vote that appears likely, given the lack of opposition now that Calvo holds the mayor’s office and has consensus support on the council.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Lack of fiber is a major reason the microbiome adopts a configuration associated with poor aging.
—Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2026
Their Eyes adopts the documentary mode and is narrated entirely by crowdworkers—specifically, annotators contracted to segment and label images to create training data for self-driving cars.
—Farren Fei Yuan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Morina’s direct style — following Shaban and Hatixhe closely, highlighting the physicality of their labor — adopts the matter-of-fact attitude of his protagonists.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adopts
Verb
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While the traditional pageboy bob is a bit shorter (usually skimming the jaw, à la Hadid’s recent chop), Margot Robbie’s version borrows its unstructured shape and soft layering.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
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What is the truth, what is the lie, and how photography historically borrows the sense of truth and reality in order to tell lies, in order to seduce people to do things.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Regent embraces solo travelers with savings on select sailings.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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Backyard beauty This Studio William Hefner kitchen embraces the natural landscape surrounding it.—
Megan Johnson,
Architectural Digest,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adopts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adopts. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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