adoption

American  

[uh-dop-shuhn] / əˈdɒp ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of establishing a legal relationship between a child and a parent other than the child’s biological parent, thereby entrusting the designated adult with responsibility for raising the child.

   Have you considered growing your family through adoption?

2. the act or process of acquiring a pet, especially a stray or abandoned animal from an animal rescue organization.

   The shelter sees a rush of dog adoptions every June, when school lets out for summer.

3. the act of accepting, embracing, or starting to use something, as an idea, behavior, characteristic, or principle: Her friends and family were surprised by her adoption of European mannerisms and expressions after only one year abroad.

   The adoption of a new amendment was delayed by partisan bickering.

   Her friends and family were surprised by her adoption of European mannerisms and expressions after only one year abroad.

4. the state of being adopted.

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Usage

What does adoption mean? Adoption is the process of adopting another parent’s child—taking them into one’s custody, typically in a formal, legal way in order to permanently act as their parent or guardian.This most commonly involves an adult couple or a single adult adopting and raising a child who is no longer in the custody of either of their birth parents (biological parents), such as in cases where they have died or are otherwise unable to care for the child. This sense of adoption can also be used in reference to adopting an animal as a pet, such as from an animal shelter. The word is especially used this way when the animal had a previous caretaker.Adopt and adoption have many other more general meanings. Most generally, adopt means to choose or take as one's own. It can also mean to accept something or vote to approve it. In all cases, adoption is the act or process of adopting, or the state of having adopted.The adoption of a tradition or religion involves making it one’s own. The adoption of a plan involves approving it and acting according to its steps. Similarly, the adoption of a law involves the formal vote to approve it and the steps taken to follow and enforce it.Example: We’ve found an agency that will help us through the process of adoption.

Other Word Forms

• adoptional adjective
• nonadoption noun
• preadoption noun
• proadoption adjective
• readoption noun
• unadoptional adjective

Etymology

Origin of adoption

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adopcioun, from Latin adoptiōn-, stem of adoptiō; ad-, option

Example Sentences

“Enterprise AI adoption is accelerating not just in breadth, but in depth,” Chatterji wrote.

From Barron's

“This approach will allow manufacturers to use a wide array of technologies to meet the standards and respond to consumer preferences in the near term, while driving EV adoption over time.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The company’s Gemini 3 model has put it on top of the heap of performance for AI models, while the unmatched distribution of its search engine and products like Gmail have quickly driven adoption.

From The Wall Street Journal

The adoption of 3-nanometer technology represents a major leap for Japan, which doesn’t have capacity to mass produce advanced chips essential for AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. firm has said the development of data centers will speed India’s adoption of AI technology and meet the country’s surging digital needs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• acceptance
• approval
• enactment
• endorsement
• maintenance
• ratification