adopted
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's adopted has been deliberately chosen. Your adopted country is the place where you choose to live, not necessarily the one in which you're born. If you describe yourself as adopted, it means that you were taken in and raised by parents who didn't give birth to you. Just as your adoptive parents chose you to be their child, other adopted things are also chosen: an adopted language is one you learn and then choose to speak, and an adopted state is the place you freely decide to live in. The Latin root is adoptare, "choose for oneself."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because the creature had adopted such a quiet and stationary way of life, it no longer depended heavily on paired vision.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
In the last two weeks, about 50% of Hex’s customers have adopted Kimi, the model produced by China-based Moonshot into their workflow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Attention has now shifted to Brussels after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution calling for an end to EU alumina exports to Russia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Her maiden name was Proudlove and she had a brother who was adopted before she was born.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I figured out why you and Chip were adopted in different states,” Katherine announced one night as Jonah was brushing his teeth.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
