In this article, the term «discourse-cooptation» is introduced based on an empiric phenomenon discovered in a discourse analysis of the Norwegian petroleum debate concerning petroleum extraction in the Barents Sea. The study is based on qualitative data in the form of 1162 articles published in four Norwegian newspapers between December 2003 and October 2005. The phenomenon in question is how a discourse [drilling for the environment] in a discursive battle enters the core of the opposing discourse [no to drilling], turning its logic on its head into a core component of its own make up. One discourse is left with a new powerful component, while the other seems proportionally weakened, not unlike the logic in a classic zero-sum game: The «aggressive» discourse is not only strengthened in absolute terms, it has gained relative to the other. The article draws on cooptation in general and cooptive processes in Norway more specifically to present the following definition: Discourse cooptation describes how a discourse enters the core of another discourse in a discursive battle, turns its logic on its head, which creates a new line of reasoning, and contributes to re-establishing hegemony and political support.