Adopt

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Adopt \A*dopt"\, v. t. [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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  adopt
       v 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