co-optation
noun
co-op·ta·tion
ˌkō-ˌäp-ˈtä-shən 
: the act or an instance of co-opting something : a taking over or appropriation of something for a new or different purpose
The co-optation of the raised fist as a patriotic symbol …—
Niela Orr
Niela OrrWolfe's shrewd co-optation of hip style in service of a meat-and-potatoes cultural agenda won countless admirers, who hailed him as a brilliant satirist with a voice extravagant as America itself.—Rand Richards Cooper
Rand Richards CooperExamples of co-optation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Janvier clearly understood Blaine’s co-optation of the phrase to mean that the United States sought control over the entire American hemisphere, including Haiti.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Consistent with organizational theory, ambiguity about universities’ role in society could lead many institutions to become increasingly susceptible to corporate co-optation, political interference and eventual collapse.
—Chris Wegemer, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025
Don’t be afraid to call out instances of AI co-optation.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
The epilogue, set at a Venice Biennale in the eighties, then switches to a touristy video format that drives home a point about the kitschy co-optation of art.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
India has used a mix of improvisation, co-optation, and coercion to control the northeast, often betraying its own constitutional values in the process.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Besides providing a more accurate picture of human behavior, paying more attention to variation can serve as an antidote to the nefarious co-optation of knowledge that feeds the online underbelly of Internet pseudoscience.
—Brooke Scelza, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024
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Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Consistent with organizational theory, ambiguity about universities’ role in society could lead many institutions to become increasingly susceptible to corporate co-optation, political interference and eventual collapse.
—Chris Wegemer, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025
Don’t be afraid to call out instances of AI co-optation.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
The epilogue, set at a Venice Biennale in the eighties, then switches to a touristy video format that drives home a point about the kitschy co-optation of art.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
India has used a mix of improvisation, co-optation, and coercion to control the northeast, often betraying its own constitutional values in the process.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Besides providing a more accurate picture of human behavior, paying more attention to variation can serve as an antidote to the nefarious co-optation of knowledge that feeds the online underbelly of Internet pseudoscience.
—Brooke Scelza, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Co-optation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-optation. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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