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
Recent Examples on the Web
The Kremlin will likely respond to this challenge by attempting to co-opt these groups, and channel their patriotic zeal into politically acceptable activities.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024
These adults, who are basically co-opting the kiddies in order to do battle with you, are also providing an example of adolescent gamesmanship.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
There are also some social movements that have been co-opted by allies who have steered the movement away from its original goals.
—Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Chumbawamba is no stranger to politicians co-opting its music.
—Dhruv Tikekar, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Populist politicians have co-opted the language of conspiracy—the Old Etonians and Oxbridge graduates who make up much of Britain’s ruling class now rail against elite control.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
Putin’s relentless prosecution of extremism in Russia’s own North Caucasus, co-opting the brutal forces of the Kadyrov family to suppress all dissent in Chechnya, appeared to work for some years, but has not ended the problem.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
This was all proof, the Australian government argued, that Mr. Duong had been co-opted by a section of China’s influence-peddling operation known as the United Front Work Department.
—Yan Zhuang, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Criminal rings influence politics at all levels of government, co-opting state institutions that oversee roads, ports, airports, border controls, financial systems, and even law enforcement and the armed forces.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2024
Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024
These adults, who are basically co-opting the kiddies in order to do battle with you, are also providing an example of adolescent gamesmanship.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
There are also some social movements that have been co-opted by allies who have steered the movement away from its original goals.
—Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Chumbawamba is no stranger to politicians co-opting its music.
—Dhruv Tikekar, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Populist politicians have co-opted the language of conspiracy—the Old Etonians and Oxbridge graduates who make up much of Britain’s ruling class now rail against elite control.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
Putin’s relentless prosecution of extremism in Russia’s own North Caucasus, co-opting the brutal forces of the Kadyrov family to suppress all dissent in Chechnya, appeared to work for some years, but has not ended the problem.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
This was all proof, the Australian government argued, that Mr. Duong had been co-opted by a section of China’s influence-peddling operation known as the United Front Work Department.
—Yan Zhuang, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Criminal rings influence politics at all levels of government, co-opting state institutions that oversee roads, ports, airports, border controls, financial systems, and even law enforcement and the armed forces.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'co-opt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Co-opt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-opt. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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