"adopt" in the verb 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"

2. adopt, borrow, take over, take up

take up and practice as one's own

3. assume, adopt, take on, take over

take on titles, offices, duties, responsibilities

"When will the new President assume office?"

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"

5. adopt, take in

take into one's family

"They adopted two children from Nicaragua"

6. dramatize, dramatise, adopt

put into dramatic form

"adopt a book for a screenplay"

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"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

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