Showing results for "adopted"

• past tense form of adopt.
• past participle of adopt.

adopted

British  

/ əˈdɒptɪd /

adjective

1. having been adopted Compare adoptive

   an adopted child

---

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

See Examples For:

adopted

He left a profound mark on the Andean nation, which adopted him as one of its own.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Meanwhile, Michigan Democratic candidate for US Senate Abdul El-Sayed, who is in a highly competitive race against a Trump-backed former congressman, has adopted a consistent look of black V-neck T-shirt and blue jeans.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Late in the convention, the delegates adopted the additional phrase “or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors” in important part to expand the reach of impeachable corruption beyond technical bribery.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Haredim have adopted a form of religious conscientious objection to serving in the military, and most Haredi families are dependent, at least to a degree, on government welfare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

I couldn’t stop wondering about who my biological parents were, what tribe they were from, or why I was adopted in the first place.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• accessible
• familiar
• prevalent
• public
• rampant
• ubiquitous
• universal

---