adopting

noun

(art, informal) Clipping of adoptable. [A person or animal that is eligible to be adopted.]

verb

To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.

To take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child.

To take by choice into the scope of one's responsibility.

To take or receive as one's own what is not so naturally.

To obtain (a pet) from a shelter or the wild.

To contribute towards the upkeep of (a child or animal), in exchange for occasional stories, pictures, etc.

To select and take or approve.

(chess, slang) To beat an opponent ten times in a row.

Roots

optoopt- · Latin · choose, wish

Synonyms & related words for adopting

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Words related to adopting

Explore words related to adopting — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include adopts, adopted, readoption, readopt, adoption, adopter, adoptively, adoptable. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does adopting come from?

The word adopting breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root opt-, from Latin opto (“choose, wish”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.