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
Luckily, the saga has also been co-opted for a bit of Christmas cheer.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2025
Assad’s government was dominated by Alawites and systematically privileged and co-opted both its own group and certain other minority communities, including, at times, the Druze (although no group was, or is, monolithic in its allegiances).
—Salma Al-Shami, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
Billions are at stake as winners seek to sustain patronage networks, co-opt independents, and assert their dominance.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Which is clearly a metaphor for some sort of childhood trauma the filmmaker’s processing which co-opted his parental bonds as a young child.
—Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for co-opt
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Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2025
Assad’s government was dominated by Alawites and systematically privileged and co-opted both its own group and certain other minority communities, including, at times, the Druze (although no group was, or is, monolithic in its allegiances).
—Salma Al-Shami, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
Billions are at stake as winners seek to sustain patronage networks, co-opt independents, and assert their dominance.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Which is clearly a metaphor for some sort of childhood trauma the filmmaker’s processing which co-opted his parental bonds as a young child.
—Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Vulture, 1 Dec. 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 17 Dec. 2025.
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