Definitions:

1. to appoint summarily or commandeer verb
   • The army tried to coopt peasants into civil defense groups.
2. to choose or elect as a fellow member or colleague verb
   • The church members coopted individuals from similar backgrounds to replenish the congregation
3. to neutralize or win over through assimilation into an established group verb
   • We coopted the independent minority tribes by pulling them into the Northern Alliance.
4. to take or assume for one's own use verb
   • They coopted the criticism and embraced it.

NearBy Words:

• co-optation
• co-option