colluded; colluding; colludes
: to work together secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest : conspire, plot
It was arithmetically possible, too, for a handful of senators … to collude with the president to approve a treaty betraying some vital interest to a foreign power.—
Jack N. Rakove
Jack N. Rakove… the travails of the world's two biggest art-auction businesses, … rivals that now stand accused by the U.S. Justice Department of colluding to rig the auction market by fixing their sales-commission rates.—Robert Hughes
Robert Hughes… argues that while the kids are not entitled to collective representation, major universities are permitted to collude to prevent players from being paid for their work.—David Sirota
David Sirota
Did you know?
Collude Has Latin Roots
The Latin prefix col-, meaning "together," and the verb ludere, "to play," come together to form collude. The related noun collusion has the specific meaning "secret agreement or cooperation." Despite their playful history, collude and collusion have always suggested deceit or trickery rather than good-natured fun.
Examples of collude in a Sentence
The two companies had colluded to fix prices.
accused of colluding to block the sale of the vacant land
Recent Examples on the Web
Sacramento — Two lawsuits filed in Los Angeles allege major home insurance companies have colluded to limit coverage in California communities at high risk for wildfires and force homeowners onto the state's last-resort insurance plan that offers basic coverage and high premiums.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025
The new suits allege that the state’s top insurers — those required by law to back FAIR — colluded together to cancel plans, leaving homeowners underinsured under FAIR, which has higher premiums than most plans on the commercial market, yet is capped at the lower coverage limit of $3 million.
—Karla Marie Sanford, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025
The government claimed Live Nation and OVG colluded by agreeing not to compete against each other for artists and tours.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025
During the hunt, Natalie ends up colluding with Hannah, Misty, and Van to get away from an increasingly paranoid Shauna and attempt to make contact with someone who can help them.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collude
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CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025
The new suits allege that the state’s top insurers — those required by law to back FAIR — colluded together to cancel plans, leaving homeowners underinsured under FAIR, which has higher premiums than most plans on the commercial market, yet is capped at the lower coverage limit of $3 million.
—Karla Marie Sanford, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025
The government claimed Live Nation and OVG colluded by agreeing not to compete against each other for artists and tours.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025
During the hunt, Natalie ends up colluding with Hannah, Misty, and Van to get away from an increasingly paranoid Shauna and attempt to make contact with someone who can help them.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collude
Cite this Entry
“Collude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collude. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
collude
intransitive verb
col·lude
kə-ˈlüd 
colluded; colluding
: to agree or cooperate secretly for a fraudulent or otherwise illegal purpose
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