choose or elect as a fellow member or colleague; The church members co-opted individuals from similar backgrounds to replenish the congregation'
neutralize or win over through assimilation into an established group; We co-opted the independent minority tribes by pulling them into the Northern Alliance'
appoint summarily or commandeer; The army tried to co-opt peasants into civil defence groups'
take or assume for one's own use; He co-opted the criticism and embraced it'