ADOPTS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

adopts

verb

present tense third-person singular of adopt

as in borrows

to take for one's own use (something originated by another) shortly after moving to the U.S., the family dutifully adopted the American tradition of having turkey for Thanksgiving

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of adopts The instrumentation adopts the Tambour’s graphic language, using cobalt blue dials and orange markings. — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The artist adopts a schizoid persona, with multiple voices flowing out of him, and swerves between lucid social criticism—about the history of slavery or of higher education—and total gibberish. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 The army that eschews it will be defeated by the one that adopts it. — Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026 The outfit partners with Kitten Rescue Los Angeles, a nonprofit that rescues and adopts out homeless cats and kittens. — Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, Lee adopts a flustered countenance to fill in the chasms of characterization the script didn’t think through. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026 The layoffs, mostly at the company’s local TV stations, come as the company adopts a 24-hour streaming news model enabled by artificial intelligence. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026 Though another fox clan ultimately adopts him, their care feels like only a temporary reprieve from advancing human nihilism. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026 Nike Air Force 1 Protro Dodgers adopts both the colors of the Los Angeles baseball team and baseball stitching. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adopts

Verb

But a platform that borrows the tricks of a casino has turned an investing tool into a gambling product, and should not be surprised when its customers, and then its regulators, notice too.

— Daniel Schlaepfer, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
California's high-speed rail project could run out of money as soon as December 2027, the project's inspector general warned in a recent review — unless the state borrows billions to keep construction on schedule.

— August 11, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of borrows

Verb

When the story moves into the season’s elaborate galas, Richardson-Whitfield embraces the grandeur and romanticism associated with the series.

— Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
When British envoys arrive, promising support for Rukumba’s independence from Uganda in exchange for access to the snow for scientific research, the village committee embraces the deal as progress.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of embraces

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adoptive

adopts

adorable

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“Adopts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adopts. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of adopts

verb

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