adopttake another?s child as one?s own: I will adopt my late sister?s boy.; to accept: adopt a proposalNot to be confused with:adapt ? fit, adjust, alter, or modify: She will adapt the costume to fit.adept ? thoroughly proficient; an expert: He is adept at landscaping difficult lots.Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreea·dopt (?-d?pt?)tr.v. a·dopt·ed, a·dopt·ing, a·dopts 1. To take on the legal responsibilities as parent of (a child that is not one’s biological child).2. To become the owner or caretaker of (a pet, especially one from a shelter).3. a. To take and follow (a course of action, for example) by choice or assent: adopt a new technique.b. To take up and make one’s own: adopt a new idea.4. To move to or resettle in (a place).5. To take on or assume: adopted an air of importance.6. To vote to accept: adopt a resolution.7. To choose as standard or required in a course: adopt a new line of English textbooks.[Middle English adopten, from Old French adopter, from Latin adopt?re : ad-, ad- + opt?re, to choose.]a·dopt?a·bil?i·ty n.a·dopt?a·ble adj.a·dopt?er n.a·dop?tion n.Usage Note: Children are adopted by parents, and we normally refer to an adopted child but to adoptive parents, families, and homes. When describing places, one can use either adopted or adoptive: her adopted city; her adoptive city.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.adopt (??d?pt) vb (tr) 1. (Law) law to bring (a person) into a specific relationship, esp to take (another’s child) as one’s own child2. to choose and follow (a plan, technique, etc)3. to take over (an idea, etc) as if it were one’s own4. to take on; assume: to adopt a title. 5. (Commerce) to accept (a report, etc)[C16: from Latin adopt?re to choose for oneself, from opt?re to choose] ?adop?tee n a?dopter n a?doption nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014a?dopt (??d?pt) v.t. 1. to take and use as one’s own: to adopt a nickname. 2. to take and rear (the child of others) as one’s own child, specifically by a formal legal act. 3. to take or receive into any kind of new relationship. 4. to take on or act in accordance with (an attitude, policy, course, etc.). 5. to vote to accept. 6. to select as a basic or required textbook in a course. [1490?1500; (