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
There is also the history of Black culture and music being co-opted.
—A.d. Carson, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2024
Naturally, Harris' campaign quickly co-opted the aesthetic and changed their social media banners to mimic the Brat album cover art.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024
And Sabo-Attwood cautions that wastewater surveillance, like much of public health, rests on trust, and that trust evaporates if people fear their data could be co-opted for ulterior purposes.
—Helen Ouyang, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Her campaign in 2019 was a transparent and ill-fated attempt to co-opt the Bernie Sanders wing of the party rather than offer something new.
—Jay Cost, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for co-opt 
A.d. Carson, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2024
Naturally, Harris' campaign quickly co-opted the aesthetic and changed their social media banners to mimic the Brat album cover art.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024
And Sabo-Attwood cautions that wastewater surveillance, like much of public health, rests on trust, and that trust evaporates if people fear their data could be co-opted for ulterior purposes.
—Helen Ouyang, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Her campaign in 2019 was a transparent and ill-fated attempt to co-opt the Bernie Sanders wing of the party rather than offer something new.
—Jay Cost, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for co-opt
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.
Dictionary Entries Near co-opt
Cite this Entry
“Co-opt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-opt. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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