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

• integrate
• incorporate
• assimilate

Examples of co-opt in a Sentence

the national organization co-opted many formerly independent local groups

Recent Examples on the Web

That in turn has led to accusations from Mexican producers that American distillers are co-opting the spirit for their own financial gain. —Andy Vasoyan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Her image is fawned over but also analyzed, co-opted, and monetized. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025

In Europe, Li says, the company will build sales partly by tapping the talent and networks that have defined the region’s industry for a century— beating its rivals, in a sense, by co-opting them. —Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 29 July 2025

Each bears a name co-opted into the English language to characterize human violence as animalistic, and include a definition—to badger: to pester, to bother. —Emily Van Duyne july 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin cooptare, from co- + optare to choose

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for co-opt

• adopt
• estopped
• chopped
• cropped
• dropped
• dropt
• flopped
• hopped
• lopped
• mopped
• opt
• plopped

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