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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Adopt \A*dopt"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Adopted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Adopting}.] [L. adoptare; ad + optare to choose, desire: cf. F. adopter. See {Option}.]
1. To take by choice into relationship, as, child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.; esp. to take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child.
2. To take or receive as one's own what is not so naturally; to select and take or approve; as, to adopt the view or policy of another; these resolutions were adopted.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adopt
verb
1: choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" [syn: {follow}, {espouse}]
2: take up and practice as one's own [syn: {borrow}, {take over}, {take up}]
3: take on titles, offices, duties, responsibilities; "When will the new President assume office?" [syn: {assume}, {take on}, {take over}]
4: take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect; "His voice took on a sad tone"; "The story took a new turn"; "he adopted an air of superiority"; "She assumed strange manners"; "The gods assume human or animal form in these fables" [syn: {assume}, {acquire}, {take on}, {take}]
5: take into one's family; "They adopted two children from Nicaragua" [syn: {take in}]
6: put into dramatic form; "adopt a book for a screenplay" [syn: {dramatize}, {dramatise}]
7: take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholocism"; "They adopted the Jewish faith" [syn: {espouse}, {embrace}, {sweep up}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
65 Moby Thesaurus words for "adopt": Americanize, Anglicize, accept, acculturate, acculturize, admit, affect, affiliate, appropriate, approve, arrogate, assimilate, assume, carry, colonize, confer citizenship, conquer, copy, derive from, domesticate, embrace, encroach, enslave, espouse, go in for, go native, hog, imitate, indent, infringe, invade, jump a claim, make free with, make use of, mock, monopolize, naturalize, occupy, overrun, pass, pirate, plagiarize, play God, preempt, preoccupy, prepossess, pretend to, ratify, requisition, seize, simulate, sit on, squat on, steal, subjugate, take, take all of, take in, take it all, take on, take over, take possession of, take up, trespass, usurp
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |