co-opt

Verb

• take or assume for one's own use
  • He co-opted the criticism and embraced it
    

• appoint summarily or commandeer
  • The army tried to co-opt peasants into civil defence groups
    

• neutralize or win over through assimilation into an established group
  • We co-opted the independent minority tribes by pulling them into the Northern Alliance
    

• choose or elect as a fellow member or colleague
  • The church members co-opted individuals from similar backgrounds to replenish the congregation