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
Digwa was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, concluding a case that the far-right has co-opted for its false narrative that British institutions, including the police, are biased against White Britons.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
So, what began as outside advocacy has now penetrated the legislative process itself whereby trial lawyers are attempting to co-opt the bill for their own agenda.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
A lot of the stuff that people think is new or innovative now is actually something that’s been borrowed or co-opted from something else that came before, or it was at least inspired by something that came before.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 20 May 2026
The tradition endures even as most people quietly agree that art probably shouldn’t be co-opted by the agendas of nation-states.
—Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for co-opt
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Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
So, what began as outside advocacy has now penetrated the legislative process itself whereby trial lawyers are attempting to co-opt the bill for their own agenda.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
A lot of the stuff that people think is new or innovative now is actually something that’s been borrowed or co-opted from something else that came before, or it was at least inspired by something that came before.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 20 May 2026
The tradition endures even as most people quietly agree that art probably shouldn’t be co-opted by the agendas of nation-states.
—Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
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 4 Jun. 2026.
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