co-opt

verb

kō-ˈäpt 

co-opted; co-opting; co-opts

transitive verb

1

a

: to choose or elect as a member

members co-opted to the committee

b

: to appoint as a colleague or assistant

2

a

: to take into a group (such as a faction, movement, or culture) : absorb, assimilate

The students are co-opted by a system they serve even in their struggle against it.

—A. C. Danto

b

: take over, appropriate

a style co-opted by advertisers

co-optative

kō-ˈäp-tə-tiv 

adjective

co-option

kō-ˈäp-shən 

noun

co-optive

kō-ˈäp-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms

• absorb
• assimilate
• embody
• incorporate
• integrate

Examples of co-opt in a Sentence

the national organization co-opted many formerly independent local groups

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, prompting AI to provide external evidence for X or Y, or find a convincing example or argument to impress key stakeholders, as well as generic coaching to improve one’s EQ, influence, and persuasion skills, means AI can easily be co-opted to upgrade and turbocharge one’s BS. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

At the same time, mainstream culture appears to be trying to co-opt elements of graffiti culture while severing any of the cultural context that comes from the work or the people. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024

They’ve also been co-opted for creating abusive deepfakes. —Matt Burgess, WIRED, 15 Oct. 2024

Schoolchildren and students have also been co-opted into the war effort. —Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin cooptare, from co- + optare to choose

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

co-opt

verb

kō-ˈäpt

co-opted; co-opting

1

: to take into a group (as a faction, movement, or culture) : assimilate

2

: take over, appropriate sense 1

a style co-opted by advertisers