As a Noun: 1. The act of taking a child into your own family and making it legally your son or daughter. English = adoption. As a Verb or Adjective: 1. To make something yours which is not properly yours (e.g., if you accidentally find it, tell yourself it is lost or discarded, and then decide to keep it). English = appropriate, scavenge, keep. Idiomatic English = come across, pocket. 2. To take a child into your own family and to make it legally your own son or daughter. English = adopt.