adopt

Make legally yours

Adopt means to take something as your own.

You adopt a child by legally becoming their parent, or adopt a pet by taking it home from a shelter.

More abstractly, you adopt a policy, an attitude, a strategy, or a way of life—choosing to embrace something that wasn't originally yours.

A legislative body adopts a resolution by formally accepting it.

We adopted a wait-and-see approach.

family

child

Person before puberty

foster · placement · parent · parenting · guardianship · custody · home · household · son · daughter

nurture

care

Attentive regard for others

foster · nourish · cultivate · develop · mentor · guide · educate · train · support · protect

embrace

accept

Consent to receive

choose · commit · endorse · espouse · follow · practice · assume · approval · openness · willingness

adapt

incorporate

Absorb into something larger

apply · use · borrow · appropriate · customize · tailor · modify · convert · transplant · localize

legalize

ratify

Formally confirm agreement

authorize · sanction · formalize · codify · resolution · legislation · statute · policy · reform · amendment

Categories
Opposites
acceptance vs. rejection

adoptreject

Dismiss as unsuitable

refuse · repudiate · spurn · veto · renounce

taking in vs. giving up (family/custody)

adoptabandon

Leave behind permanently

give up · relinquish · surrender · forsake · disown

adoption vs. biological origin

adoptbirth

Coming into the world

bear · give birth to · beget · sire · conceive

Phrases
Family

adoption, adopted, adopting, adopts, adoptions, adopters, adoptive, adopter, adoptee

Familiarity
Top 10,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G