Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To elect as a fellow member of a group.
  • transitive verb To appoint summarily.
  • transitive verb To take or assume for one's own use; appropriate.
  • transitive verb To neutralize or win over (an independent minority, for example) through assimilation into an established group or culture.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To choose conjointly; elect; select by joint choice; specifically, to elect to membership in a committee, board, or society by the choice of its existing members.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb rare To choose or elect in concert with another.
  • transitive verb To choose or elect as a colleague or fellow member of a group.
  • transitive verb To assimilate (a smaller group) into a larger group.
  • transitive verb To persuade an opponent to join one's own side.
  • transitive verb To appoint summarily (with or without the appointee's consent).
  • transitive verb To appropriate (something rightly belonging to another) as one's own; to preempt.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To elect as a fellow member of a group, such as a committee.
  • verb To commandeer, appropriate or take over.
  • verb To absorb or assimilate into an established group.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb neutralize or win over through assimilation into an established group
  • verb appoint summarily or commandeer
  • verb take or assume for one's own use
  • verb choose or elect as a fellow member or colleague

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin cooptāre : co-, co- + optāre, to choose.]

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Examples

Comments

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  • This word sounds suspiciously like co-op.

    December 25, 2008

  • But it actually is a word. In fact it's one of those that, since frequently misused along with co-op, drives me completely batshit.

    December 28, 2008

  • Ooooh, I have genuinely never heard this word confused with co-op; is that the misuse which vexes you so, or something else?

    December 29, 2008

  • The misuse, definitely.

    December 29, 2008

  • I meant is it that particular misuse, or a different one!

    December 29, 2008

  • I'm a member of the Co-op. Uhh, voluntarily.

    December 29, 2008

  • That's the only misuse of this word that vexes me, yep.

    December 29, 2008