All 4 Uses of
adopt
in
1984, by Orwell
- At nine teen he had designed a hand-grenade which had been adopted by the Ministry of Peace and which, at its first trial, had killed thirty-one Eurasian prisoners in one burst.†
p. 47.1adopted = took on as one's own
- There was no way of knowing whose job would finally be adopted, but he felt a profound conviction that it would be his own.†
p. 47.8 *
- He did not see that the continuity of an oligarchy need not be physical, nor did he pause to reflect that hereditary aristocracies have always been short-lived, whereas adoptive organizations such as the Catholic Church have sometimes lasted for hundreds or thousands of years.†
p. 209.9adoptive = made by taking on as one's own
- It preaches a contempt for the working class unexampled for centuries past, and it dresses its members in a uniform which was at one time peculiar to manual workers and was adopted for that reason.†
p. 216.5adopted = took on as one's own
Definition:
to take on as one's own
The exact meaning of adopt depends upon its context. For example:
- "adopt a child" -- to legally take on parental responsibilities for another person's child
- "adopt a plan" -- to accept or begin to use something
- "adopt a pet" -- to take in a pet -- especially one from an animal shelter
- "Congress adopted the resolution." -- had a formal vote and passed
- "adopted a confident attitude" -- took on or displayed