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