co-opt
verb /ˌkəʊ ˈɒpt/
/ˌkəʊ ˈɑːpt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they co-opt | /ˌkəʊ ˈɒpt/ /ˌkəʊ ˈɑːpt/ |
| he / she / it co-opts | /ˌkəʊ ˈɒpts/ /ˌkəʊ ˈɑːpts/ |
| past simple co-opted | /ˌkəʊ ˈɒptɪd/ /ˌkəʊ ˈɑːptɪd/ |
| past participle co-opted | /ˌkəʊ ˈɒptɪd/ /ˌkəʊ ˈɑːptɪd/ |
| -ing form co-opting | /ˌkəʊ ˈɒptɪŋ/ /ˌkəʊ ˈɑːptɪŋ/ |
- co-opt somebody (onto/into something) to make somebody a member of a group, committee, etc. by the agreement of all the other members
- She was co-opted onto the board.
- co-opt somebody/something (disapproving) to change somebody/something to a different role from the usual or original one; to take somebody's idea and use it for your own purposes
- Politicians have been trying to co-opt the movement without embracing its values.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Latin cooptare, from co- ‘together’ + optare ‘choose’.