Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb adopt

7 senses of adopt

Sense 1
adopt, follow, espouse -- (choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals")
       => choose, take, select, pick out -- (pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her")

Sense 2
adopt, borrow, take over, take up -- (take up and practice as one's own)
       => accept, take, have -- (receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present")

Sense 3
assume, adopt, take on, take over -- (take on titles, offices, duties, responsibilities; "When will the new President assume office?")
       => take office -- (assume an office, duty, or title; "When will the new President take office?")

Sense 4
assume, acquire, adopt, take on, take -- (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")
       => change -- (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night")

Sense 5
adopt, take in -- (take into one's family; "They adopted two children from Nicaragua")
       => take -- (take into one's possession; "We are taking an orphan from Romania"; "I'll take three salmon steaks")

Sense 6
dramatize, dramatise, adopt -- (put into dramatic form; "adopt a book for a screenplay")
       => write, compose, pen, indite -- (produce a literary work; "She composed a poem"; "He wrote four novels")

Sense 7
espouse, embrace, adopt, sweep up -- (take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They adopted the Jewish faith")
       => accept -- (consider or hold as true; "I cannot accept the dogma of this church"; "accept an argument")