fosterverb(TAKE CARE OF)
[ T ]
to take an animal that has been left in a place such as a rescue centre, and keep it as your pet:
Only about 20 percent of all dogs and cats that come into the rescue centre will be adopted.
She lives in a 3-bedroomed home with five dogs she adopted from an animal shelter.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Parenting & caring for children
adoptable
adopted
adoptee
adoption
adoptive
child-rearing
childless
childlessness
childmind
childminder
kinship carer
lawnmower parent
looked-after
milestone
mothering
snowploughing
stay-at-home
swaddle
unadoptable
unadopted

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Protection and protectors

adoptverb (START USING)

B2[ T ]
to accept or start to use something new: 接受;采用;采纳
I think it's time to adopt a different strategy in my dealings with him.我觉得在和他的交往中该采用一种不同的策略了。
The new tax would force companies to adopt energy-saving measures.征收新税将迫使公司采取节能措施。
He's adopted a remarkably light-hearted attitude towards the situation.面对这种局面，他摆出了一种异乎寻常的轻描淡写的态度。
It was a most fruitful discussion, with both sides agreeing to adopt a common policy.这是一次富有成果的讨论，双方达成一致采用共同的政策。
Since our research so far has not produced any answers to this problem, we need to adopt a different approach to it.到目前为止，我们还没有研究出任何解决这一问题的方法，所以我们得换一种思路了。
We will have to adopt a more scientific approach in the future.我们将来得采用更审慎系统的方法。
Several governments have adopted tough new anti-terrorist legislation in the wake of the attacks.袭击事件发生后，数国政府已经通过新的立法，严厉打击恐怖主义。
The budget proposal was adopted at the president's behest.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Using and misusing
adoption
avail
avail yourself of something
be (of) (any/some) useidiom
be/go heavy on somethingidiom
exhaust
go into something
go through
gobble something up
make capital out of somethingidiom
max
spare
spent
swallow
tap
turn to someone/something
turn/use something to good accountidiom
unblock
underuse
underused

adoptverb (CHOOSE)

[ T ]
to choose someone or something or take something as your own: 选定;选用;采用
Dr Kennedy has been adopted as the party's candidate for South Cambridge.肯尼迪博士被选定为该党南剑桥地区的候选人。
[ T ]
to start behaving in a particular way, especially by choice: 养成某种习惯
Roz has adopted one or two funny mannerisms since she's been away.罗兹自她离开后养成了一两种可笑的怪癖。
She tends to adopt a falsely cheerful tone when she's upset about something.她对某事不快时，总会用一种假装愉快的语气讲话。
to adopt a subservient role/position
There is no English equivalent for 'bon appetit' so we have adopted the French expression.英语中没有和 bon appetit 相对应的词，所以我们就借用了法语的这个表达方式。
They have adopted local customs and tried to blend in with the community.他们已经接受了当地习俗并努力融入当地社会。
The prime minister has adopted an inflexible position on immigration.首相在移民问题上采取了强硬的立场。

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Taking and choosing
adopted
adoption
appoint
bags I...idiom
be between the devil and the deep blue seaidiom
be your best betidiom
cull
faute de mieux
favoured
filterable
first choice
go for someone
picker
Robin Hood
select
selection
selective
selectively
skim
you pays your money and you takes your choice/chanceidiom

adoptverb (PAY FOR)

[ T ]
to pay money in order to have your name connected with a particular thing, especially in order to help an organization raise money:
For just $25, you can adopt a word for an entire year.
[ T ]UK
to agree to be responsible for a road being maintained(= kept in good condition):
The council said the road was never adopted and so it is not obliged to repair it.
We adopted a red panda at our local wildlife park.
Throughout Missouri, 4,600 groups have adopted highways and agreed to pick up trash, mow grass or carry out similar duties.
When you design a housing estate, in order to get the roads adopted, you have to satisfy the highway authority.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Backing, supporting & defending
advocacy
affirmation
ally yourself to/with someone
argumentation
back someone up
bail out
bet
buoy
champion
commitment
flag-waving
pander to someone/something
prop something up
provide
provide for someone
rec
root
solidly
sustenance
underpin

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Roads & routes in general
Roads: urban & residential streets

adopt | American Dictionary

adopt
verb
us/əˈdɑpt/

adoptverb (TAKE CHILD)

[ I/T ]
to take another person’s child legally into your own family to raise as your own child:
[ T ]They adopted Raphael last September.

adoptverb (START)

[ T ]
to accept or begin to use something:
The new law means companies will adopt energy-saving measures.
[ T ]
If an organization adopts a rule, it votes to accept it:
The motion to increase fees was adopted.

adopt | Business English

adopt
verb[ T ]
uk /əˈdɒpt/us
to start to use a new method, system, law, etc.:
Many European businesses are now adopting a management style closer to that of the US.
adopt an approach/strategy/policyAccording to the inspector-general's report, the airline industry needs to adopt a more consistent approach.
adopt a measure/system/planCompanies involved in public takeovers should adopt more stringent measures to investigate information leaks.
adopt a resolution/regulation/solutionThe Security Council adopted a resolution promising economic aid to the region.
to start to use a new product or service:
Large firms lead small firms in terms of adopting e-commerce.

Examples of adopt

adopt
Such tactics may be adopted by some parasites.
According to that hypothesis, proto-digeneans possessing a typical turbellaria-like structure adopted commensalism before becoming tissue parasites in gastropods.
A similar sampling regime was adopted in 1998.
Now the user adopts the role of the public servant when typing data directly into the system of the tax authority.
Although various methods will often be adopted, there is a dearth of information about the factors which facilitate or impede recruitment to trials.
The adopted framework produces this more basic pattern, using the constraints in (30a) and the ranking in (30b).
In order to achieve this aim a case study approach was adopted.
The procedure adopted by the practice for communicating test results involved direct communication of screen-positive results only.
The 1998 table is similar to the new table that was adopted in 2004 for men but overstates mortality for women.
In principle this was much like multi-pillar systems that have recently been adopted in other countries around the world.
The use of only revolute and prismatic pairs is adopted by reason of their genericity and technological implementation.
A key par t of this "strengthening" movement was to unify the nation by adopting one language as the standard.
She argues that care is needed to avoid primary-age children being encouraged into adopting an adult-style learning approach, which they are too immature to handle.
In adopting such self-reliant approaches, entrepreneurship, a sense of pride, self-fulfilment and achievement are evident among community members.
The latter are still in use, but have been adopted exclusively by members of the political class and business people.
See all examples of adopt
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.