collaborate
verb
col·lab·o·rate
kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt 
collaborated; collaborating
1
: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor
An international team of scientists collaborated on the study.
2
: to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force
suspected of collaborating with the enemy
3
: to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected
The two schools collaborate on library services.
Did you know?
The Latin prefix com-, meaning "with, together, or jointly," is a bit of a chameleon—it has a tricky habit of changing its appearance depending on what it's next to. If the word it precedes begins with l, com- becomes col- (as in colleague, collect, and collide). In the case of collaborate, com- teamed up with laborare ("to labor") to form Late Latin collaborare ("to labor together").
Examples of collaborate in a Sentence
The two companies agreed to collaborate.
He was suspected of collaborating with the occupying army.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan, the founder of Article, a digital creative agency based in Toronto, continued to collaborate with Meghan on several high-profile projects, including the creation of the SussexRoyal.com and Archewell.org websites, as well as Sussex.com.
—
Erin Hill, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Shortly before soaring to the A-list with Top Gun, Tom Cruise collaborated with director Ridley Scott on a fantasy film that the performer would be happy to forget.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
For some time, the two brands have been quietly collaborating on what could be the best travel package for luxury fans: the Elevate Your Cabo Experience.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025
Here are the critical areas of focus: • Upskilling Teams: Ensuring that IT teams are equipped to collaborate with AI systems is paramount.
—Mohit Gupta, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collaborate
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Erin Hill, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Shortly before soaring to the A-list with Top Gun, Tom Cruise collaborated with director Ridley Scott on a fantasy film that the performer would be happy to forget.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
For some time, the two brands have been quietly collaborating on what could be the best travel package for luxury fans: the Elevate Your Cabo Experience.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025
Here are the critical areas of focus: • Upskilling Teams: Ensuring that IT teams are equipped to collaborate with AI systems is paramount.
—Mohit Gupta, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collaborate
Articles Related to collaborate
Cite this Entry
“Collaborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collaborate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
collaborate
verb
col·lab·o·rate
kə-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt
collaborated; collaborating
1
: to work with others (as in writing a book)
2
: to cooperate with an enemy force that has taken over one's country
collaborationist
noun
-sh(ə-)nəst
Legal Definition
collaborate
intransitive verb
col·lab·o·rate
kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt
collaborated; collaborating
: to work jointly with others in some endeavor
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