coopt
v. t.-
To choose or elect as a colleague or fellow member of a group;
as, The church members .co-opted individuals from similar backgrounds to replenish the congregation - To assimilate (a smaller group) into a larger group.
- To persuade an opponent to join one's own side.
- To appoint summarily (with or without the appointee's consent).
-
To appropriate (something rightly belonging to another) as one's own; to preempt;
as, to .co-opt someone's name
