adopt

/ə-ˈdäpt/

Middle English adopten, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French adopter, borrowed from Latin adoptāre, from ad- ad-optāre "to express a wish for, desire, choose, decide on"

verb

  1. to take (someone or something) by choice into a relationship : such, as

  2. to take (a child born to other parents) voluntarily as one's own child especially in compliance with formal legal procedures

  3. to acquire (an animal) as a pet especially from an animal shelter

Many young couples … are experiencing infertility problems, and as a result, some are looking to adopt a child.

adopt embrace espouse mean to take an opinion, policy, or practice as one's own. adopt implies accepting something created by another or foreign to one's nature. embrace implies a ready or happy acceptance.