co-opted; co-opting; co-opts
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
A. C. Danto
b
: take over, appropriate
a style co-opted by advertisers
Examples of co-opt in a Sentence
the national organization co-opted many formerly independent local groups
Recent Examples on the Web
For Freedoms tries to co-opt those blaring ad spaces.
—Travis Diehl, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Illiberal leaders select their cabinet members in the same way that emperors used to choose the governors of rebellious provinces: What matters most is the appointee’s loyalty and capacity to resist being suborned or co-opted by others.
—Ivan Krastev, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025
There were very small groups of people who were co-opting and exploiting the moment with really extreme rhetoric and painting the entire movement with those colours.
—Hazlitt, 25 Dec. 2024
Finally, Trump could attempt to co-opt international organizations to align with his administration’s agenda by focusing their resources on narrow U.S. priorities or leveraging their legitimacy to pursue policies that serve domestic political goals instead of broader global interests.
—Allison Carnegie, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
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Travis Diehl, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Illiberal leaders select their cabinet members in the same way that emperors used to choose the governors of rebellious provinces: What matters most is the appointee’s loyalty and capacity to resist being suborned or co-opted by others.
—Ivan Krastev, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025
There were very small groups of people who were co-opting and exploiting the moment with really extreme rhetoric and painting the entire movement with those colours.
—Hazlitt, 25 Dec. 2024
Finally, Trump could attempt to co-opt international organizations to align with his administration’s agenda by focusing their resources on narrow U.S. priorities or leveraging their legitimacy to pursue policies that serve domestic political goals instead of broader global interests.
—Allison Carnegie, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for co-opt
Dictionary Entries Near co-opt
Cite this Entry
“Co-opt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-opt. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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