Adopting a child or pet can represent:
- Responsibility, or the desire or intention to take responsibility for or "take on" whatever is represented by whomever is being adopted in the dream
- Feelings of nurturing, or the desire to love, nurture, care for, or support others
Dreaming that you were adopted when you were not in real life can represent a feeling of distance, separation, or dissimilarity (in beliefs, attitude, etc.) from one or more of your parents.