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
In 2026, more companies will move beyond AI adoption to fully enable AI workflows.
—Gabby Burlacu, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
McKissick said 29 countries, including India, could now play Xbox games through the cloud, and that cloud adoption had grown more than 20% year-over-year.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Ghose also acknowledges the extreme volatility of crypto but sees government intervention as essential for mainstream adoption.
—Rebecca Cairns, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Engineers expect this shift to improve safety and thermal stability, two critical concerns for EV adoption.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
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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Gabby Burlacu, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
McKissick said 29 countries, including India, could now play Xbox games through the cloud, and that cloud adoption had grown more than 20% year-over-year.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Ghose also acknowledges the extreme volatility of crypto but sees government intervention as essential for mainstream adoption.
—Rebecca Cairns, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Engineers expect this shift to improve safety and thermal stability, two critical concerns for EV adoption.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adoption
Cite this Entry
“Adoption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adoption. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adoption
noun
adop·tion
ə-ˈdäp-shən
: the act of adopting : the state of being adopted
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