adopt
verb (used with object)
to choose or take as one's own; make one's own by selection or assent.
were adopting
-
past progressiveof adopt.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Former employees said Chinese rivals were adopting more punishing work schedules to help push products out more quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Members of the 100-member LDP faction that once backed Abe in the Diet recently announced they were adopting a “group leadership” structure after having failed to designate a new leader.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
There, the domestication of yams by the Niger-Congo peoples developed gradually and likely in a piecemeal fashion beginning possibly around the same time the Nilo-Saharans of the eastern Sahara were adopting agriculture.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Obaidullah Baheer, a social activist and lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, expressed fears the Taliban were adopting the tactics of past Afghan intelligence agencies.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2022
But while the military commanders were adopting these heroic resolutions, the Town Council was engaged in secret session at the town-hall.
From The Merchant of Berlin An Historical Novel by L. (Luise) Mühlbach
