adoption

American

[uh-dop-shuhn] / əˈdɒp ʃən /

noun

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?
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.
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.
the state of being adopted.

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“As rapid AI adoption expands the attack surface for organizations, real-time visibility into vulnerabilities and actionable insights for what to fix first are critical to minimize risk and strengthen security posture,” ServiceNow said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The adoption of AI, some economists argue, largely explains why the U.S. might be able to grow significantly faster than what economists view as its 1.8% annual speed limit.

From MarketWatch

They learn technology adoption, gain client exposure, and observe business dealings typically reserved for more senior employees, while developing both technical and leadership capabilities across multiple business areas.

From The Wall Street Journal

First among them would be a jobless productivity boost in the U.S., perhaps resulting from increased adoption of AI technology, thereby reducing consumer price inflation.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023