What does adoption mean?

The noun adoption refers to the process or act of “becoming the legal parent of a child not born to you” (e.g., “The adoption of a foster child is usually a quicker process than the adoption of a newborn”).

In a general sense, “adoption” means the process of act of “beginning to use or embrace” (e.g., “Adoption of this new technology has been slow” or “We encourage the adoption of similar policies”).

On a related note, if you’re unsure whether adapt or adopt is the word you need, bear in mind that you can’t “adopt to” something.

Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? You can use it to check you’re using the word “adoption” correctly in your text.