co-optation

noun

co-op·​ta·​tion ˌkō-ˌäp-ˈtä-shən How to pronounce co-optation (audio)
: the act or an instance of co-opting something : a taking over or appropriation of something for a new or different purpose
The co-optation of the raised fist as a patriotic symbol …—Niela Orr
Wolfe's shrewd co-optation of hip style in service of a meat-and-potatoes cultural agenda won countless admirers, who hailed him as a brilliant satirist with a voice extravagant as America itself.—Rand Richards Cooper

Examples of co-optation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Critics also point to the corporate co-optation of Earth Day. — Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025 Seger’s music also seems to have been less conducive to the sort of right-wing political co-optation that has persistently befallen Springsteen’s, Petty’s, and Mellencamp’s work. — Jack Hamilton, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026 Janvier clearly understood Blaine’s co-optation of the phrase to mean that the United States sought control over the entire American hemisphere, including Haiti. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025 Peter Magyar’s center-right Tisza trounced Orban’s Fidesz in parliamentary elections by a margin of nearly three-to-one, a stunning turn after so many years of Orban consolidating power with extrajudicial tools like gerrymandering, court-packing and the co-optation of an independent media. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026 Consistent with organizational theory, ambiguity about universities’ role in society could lead many institutions to become increasingly susceptible to corporate co-optation, political interference and eventual collapse. — Chris Wegemer, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of co-optation was in 1966

Rhymes for co-optation

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Browse Nearby Words

co-optate
co-optation
co-optative
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Cite this Entry

“Co-optation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-optation. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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