co-opt

verb (used with object)

to elect into a body by the votes of the existing members.

to assimilate, take, or win over into a larger or established group: The fledgling Labor party was coopted by the Socialist party.

to appropriate as one's own; preempt: The dissidents have coopted the title of her novel for their slogan.

Also, co-opt.

Origin:
1645–55; < Latin cooptāre. See co-, opt

Related forms

co·op·ta·tion, co-op·ta·tion, co·op·tion, co-op·tion

[koh-op-shuh

n] , noun

co·op·ta·tive, co-op·ta·tive

[koh-op-tuh-tiv] , co·op·tive, co-op·tive, adjective

Can be confused: co-op, coop, co-opt, coupe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To co-opt

00:10

Co-opt is always a great word to know.

So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

coopt or co-opt (kəʊˈɒpt)

—vb
1.	to add (someone) to a committee, board, etc, by the agreement of the existing members
2.	to appoint summarily; commandeer

[C17: from Latin cooptāre to elect, from optāre to choose]

co-opt or co-opt

—vb

[C17: from Latin cooptāre to elect, from optāre to choose]

co'option or co-opt

—n

co-'option or co-opt

—n

coop'tation or co-opt

—n

co-op'tation or co-opt

—n

co'optative or co-opt

—*adj*

co-'optative or co-opt

—*adj*

coopt or co-opt (kəʊˈɒpt)

—vb
1.	to add (someone) to a committee, board, etc, by the agreement of the existing members
2.	to appoint summarily; commandeer

[C17: from Latin cooptāre to elect, from optāre to choose]

co-opt or co-opt

—vb

[C17: from Latin cooptāre to elect, from optāre to choose]

co'option or co-opt

—n

co-'option or co-opt

—n

coop'tation or co-opt

—n

co-op'tation or co-opt

—n

co'optative or co-opt

—*adj*

co-'optative or co-opt

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

co-opt

1650s, "to select (someone) for a group or club by a vote of members," from L. cooptare "to choose as a colleague or member of one's tribe," from com- "together" + optare "choose" (see option). For some reason this defied the usual pattern of L.-to-Eng. adaptation, which

should have yielded cooptate. Sense of "take over" is first recorded c.1953. Related: co-opted (1650s).

coopt

see co-opt.

Matching Quote

"The pursuit of Fashion is the attempt of the middle class to co-opt tragedy. In adopting the clothing, speech, and personal habits of those in straitened, dangerous, or pitiful circumstances, the middle class seeks to have what it feels to be the exigent and nonequivocal experiences had by those it emulates."

-David Mamet

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Related Words

co-op

co-opt

co·opt