adopt
adopt — verb
1. to become the legal parent of a child whose birth parents are not yours, so that
to become the legal parent of a child whose birth parents are not yours, so that you can raise the child as your own.
Una and Priya adopted a baby girl from Vietnam after waiting nearly three years.
adopt + object (child) for legal-family meaning
The Chen family decided to adopt a four-year-old boy who had grown up in foster care.
Many couples wait years before they can legally adopt a newborn in Taiwan.
Hannah was adopted at six months old and met her birth mother only last summer.
文法句型
adopt + somebody
用法筆記
Subject is usually the new parent or family; object is the child. Often paired with the adverb 'legally' to stress the formal process. Distinguish from sense 2 (adopting an animal) — this sense applies only to children.
常見錯誤
2. to take home an animal, usually one from a shelter or the street, and care for i
to take home an animal, usually one from a shelter or the street, and care for it as your own pet.
We adopted a black cat from the local shelter on Saturday morning.
adopt + animal + from [shelter]
Farouk wanted to adopt a rescue dog instead of buying a puppy from a pet shop.
collocation: adopt a rescue dog
After the typhoon, dozens of volunteers came forward to adopt stray puppies.
The campaign 'Adopt, Don't Shop' encourages people to take animals home from shelters.
- abandon
leave a pet behind, the opposite action
文法句型
adopt + animal
用法筆記
Object is an animal, very often paired with 'from a shelter' or 'from the street'. Distinguish from sense 1 — no legal procedure is involved here, so this sense is closer to ordinary 'take in' than to formal adoption.
常見錯誤
3. to begin to use a new way of doing something — for example, a method, a technolo
to begin to use a new way of doing something — for example, a method, a technology, or an approach — and make it part of how you work.
Many small farms in Yilan have adopted organic methods over the past decade.
adopt + method/approach
Our marketing team adopted Notion for weekly planning, and our Monday meetings are now half as long.
Schools across Taipei are slowly adopting AI tools to give students faster feedback.
After the data leak, the company adopted stricter security practices on every server.
文法句型
adopt + method/approach/technology
用法筆記
Object is usually a method, approach, technology, system, or set of practices — not a person. Often appears with adverbs like 'widely', 'quickly', or 'gradually'. Distinguish from sense 4 (formally accepting a policy or proposal by vote): this sense is about putting something into daily practice, not voting it through.
常見錯誤
4. if a group such as a parliament, council, or board adopts a proposal, law, or po
if a group such as a parliament, council, or board adopts a proposal, law, or policy, the members vote in favour of it so that it becomes official.
The city council adopted the new noise rules after a long public hearing.
adopt + rule/law/policy in a formal vote
The United Nations adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
collocation: adopt a resolution
After two hours of debate, the school budget was adopted by a vote of 27 to 4.
Parliament finally adopted the climate bill after three rounds of revision.
文法句型
adopt + a resolution/policy/law
用法筆記
Subject is normally an institutional body — a council, parliament, board, committee, or assembly. Frequently appears in the passive ('was adopted by [number] votes'). Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 is about putting something into practice, while this sense is specifically about a formal vote that turns a proposal into official policy.
常見錯誤
5. to choose a name, custom, country, or identity that did not originally belong to
to choose a name, custom, country, or identity that did not originally belong to you, and start treating it as your own.
When she moved to Tokyo, Sara adopted the Japanese name Sakura for her work emails.
adopt + a new name
His grandfather adopted Canadian citizenship in 1972 and never looked back.
collocation: adopt citizenship
The Taipei rock band Mayday adopted a short Latin motto for their new album cover.
Many young directors have adopted Wong Kar-wai's slow, dreamy style as their own.
文法句型
adopt + name/custom/identity
用法筆記
Object is typically a name, identity, custom, citizenship, or visible style. The thing adopted clearly originates elsewhere, which is what separates this sense from sense 3 (a method or technology, where origin is less central).
常見錯誤
6. to start showing a particular attitude, tone, or manner, especially because you
to start showing a particular attitude, tone, or manner, especially because you have decided to.
Throughout the press conference, the minister adopted a calm and patient tone.
adopt + tone/attitude
Yael adopted a more serious manner the moment his boss walked in.
The teacher adopted a friendly attitude so the new students would feel safe asking questions.
When questioned by reporters, the senator adopted the position that she had nothing to hide.
- drop
stop using a particular tone or manner
文法句型
adopt + attitude/tone/manner
用法筆記
Object describes how the subject behaves or speaks: 'tone', 'attitude', 'manner', 'stance', 'position'. Implies a deliberate choice — this is what separates it from simply 'be' or 'feel'. Often signals that the behaviour is for a particular audience or moment.
常見錯誤
7. to give regular money or help to a thing such as a road, a zoo animal, or a scho
to give regular money or help to a thing such as a road, a zoo animal, or a school class, in return for being named as its sponsor.
A local bakery adopted the small park near our office and pays for new flowers each spring.
adopt + place/section as a sponsor
Visitors can adopt a giraffe at Taipei Zoo for a yearly fee that supports its food and care.
collocation: adopt an animal at a zoo
Several companies have adopted sections of the highway and put up small signs by the road.
Our bookstore adopted a classroom in Hualien and sends new picture books every term.
- sponsor
very close meaning; the most common everyday alternative
文法句型
adopt + a road/animal/area
用法筆記
Common in fundraising contexts ('Adopt-a-Highway', 'adopt an animal'). The subject keeps the thing where it is and only sponsors it — nothing is taken into the home, which separates this sense from senses 1, 2, and 5.