adoption

The word “adoption” means the legal process of taking a child into your family as your own. In plain terms, either legally becoming someone's parent, or a group starting to use something new.

“Adoption” is pronounced uh-DOP-shuhn (/əˈdɑp.ʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “adoption” used in a sentence: “The adoption was finalised after a long wait.”

“Adoption” is a noun.

The word “adoption” comes from Latin. From Latin adoptio, from adoptare ("to adopt"); equivalent to adopt + -ion.

“Adoption” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Adoption” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the legal process of taking a child into your family as your own.

Adoption is the legal process of taking a child into your family as your own, giving you permanent parental rights, while fostering is a temporary arrangement where a child lives with a carer without full legal transfer of parenthood. Adoption is permanent, whereas fostering is intended as care for a limited period.

Adoption is the act of starting to use or accept something, such as a technology or plan, while adaptation is the process of changing something to suit new conditions. A company's adoption of new software means it began using it, while its adaptation means it altered the software to fit its needs.

In technology and business, adoption refers to the act of starting to use or accept a method, tool, or plan, as in "the adoption of electric vehicles." It measures how widely something new is being taken up rather than any legal or family process.