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 ortake over . - verb To
absorb orassimilate 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
Support
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Examples
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"Everyone is concerned the Republicans are going to co-opt the movement."
At Va. tea party gathering, insurgents worry GOP will 'co-opt the movement' Anita Kumar 2010
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"Everyone is concerned the Republicans are going to co-opt the movement."
At Va. tea party gathering, insurgents worry GOP will 'co-opt the movement' Anita Kumar 2010
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Then in a televised speech Thursday, Maliki, who had begun the week welcoming the protest, urged people to stay away, saying the event seemed "suspicious" and was likely to be infiltrated by al-Qaeda or perhaps loyalists of Sadaam Hussein's Baath Party or "terrorists" seeking to co-opt it for their own purposes.
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Dumb technocratic ideas tend to co-opt the elites; the worst of them co-opt the academy and business (along with the bureaucrats) simultaneously.
Technocrats and Populists, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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But instead of crushing them, we tried to co-opt them by enticing them with power in the transitional government.
Mueller on Iraq, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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Then in a televised speech Thursday, Maliki, who had begun the week welcoming the protest, urged people to stay away, saying the event seemed "suspicious" and was likely to be infiltrated by al-Qaeda or perhaps loyalists of Sadaam Hussein's Baath Party or "terrorists" seeking to co-opt it for their own purposes.
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On the one hand, I want to be like “How dare you co-opt Wolverine and Transformers as part of the Action genre?!?” but then I realized that it is merely another example of how Sci-Fi is the new Mainstream.
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A similar trend briefly emerged in the early 2000s, but the authorities were largely able to intimidate or co-opt the challengers.
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Then in a televised speech Thursday, Maliki, who had begun the week welcoming the protest, urged people to stay away, saying the event seemed "suspicious" and was likely to be infiltrated by al-Qaeda or perhaps loyalists of Sadaam Hussein's Baath Party or "terrorists" seeking to co-opt it for their own purposes.
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Technocratic bad ideas tend to co-opt and subsume the elites and those with money and power.
What's Wrong With DeLong?, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
whichbe commented on the word co-opt
This word sounds suspiciously like co-op.
December 25, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word co-opt
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
sarra commented on the word co-opt
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
chained_bear commented on the word co-opt
The misuse, definitely.
December 29, 2008
sarra commented on the word co-opt
I meant is it that particular misuse, or a different one!
December 29, 2008
bilby commented on the word co-opt
I'm a member of the Co-op. Uhh, voluntarily.
December 29, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word co-opt
That's the only misuse of this word that vexes me, yep.
December 29, 2008