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
Which would mean that its activation in the digits was the product of co-opting the cloacal genetic program and deploying it in the developing limb.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Burns said Huntington Beach is not the only city where vigils and community gatherings have been co-opted by extremists.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Penske’s complaint argues that practice isn’t a fair exchange and has caused significant financial harm, with the company’s affiliate revenue falling by more than a third (as a result of Google’s AI Overviews co-opting traffic that might have otherwise gone to Penske outlets).
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Though the phrase has been co-opted by politicians like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a pro-regime former president, to ridicule and disparage protesters, it has since been reclaimed.
—Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for co-opt
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John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Burns said Huntington Beach is not the only city where vigils and community gatherings have been co-opted by extremists.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Penske’s complaint argues that practice isn’t a fair exchange and has caused significant financial harm, with the company’s affiliate revenue falling by more than a third (as a result of Google’s AI Overviews co-opting traffic that might have otherwise gone to Penske outlets).
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Though the phrase has been co-opted by politicians like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a pro-regime former president, to ridicule and disparage protesters, it has since been reclaimed.
—Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for co-opt
Cite this Entry
“Co-opt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-opt. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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