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
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Former city council representative Sal Espino, who chaired the Redistricting Taskforce, said the group recommended Calderon’s map to the city council for adoption.
—Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026
Shares climbed almost 12% over the five-day stretch as Wall Street analysts issued bullish calls and the market continued to come around to our idea that cybersecurity names are not threatened by AI adoption and should not be lumped in with general-purpose enterprise software stocks.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 23 May 2026
Over her six years with the family, Suzy became a mascot for pet adoption, traveling with her owners to schools to meet children and helping to get hundreds of animals adopted.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for adoption
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Former city council representative Sal Espino, who chaired the Redistricting Taskforce, said the group recommended Calderon’s map to the city council for adoption.
—Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026
Shares climbed almost 12% over the five-day stretch as Wall Street analysts issued bullish calls and the market continued to come around to our idea that cybersecurity names are not threatened by AI adoption and should not be lumped in with general-purpose enterprise software stocks.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 23 May 2026
Over her six years with the family, Suzy became a mascot for pet adoption, traveling with her owners to schools to meet children and helping to get hundreds of animals adopted.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 22 May 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 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adoption
noun
adop·tion
ə-ˈdäp-shən
: the act of adopting : the state of being adopted
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