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
The designer additionally took the chance of collaborating with the Italian brand to include lingerie pieces.
—
Sandra Salibian, WWD, 25 Feb. 2025
Team dynamics require interdependence, where members collaborate and rely on each other's strengths, skills and expertise.
—Daria Rudnik, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Furthermore, as a Jewish man with a direct connection to the horrors that the Nazi regime inflicted on millions of people, Spiegelman recently collaborated with author Joe Sacco on a three-page comic about the alarming situation in Gaza.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Geothermal energy has also garnered fresh interest in the modern AI era, with Google collaborating with startup Fervo Energy in Nevada.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collaborate
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Sandra Salibian, WWD, 25 Feb. 2025
Team dynamics require interdependence, where members collaborate and rely on each other's strengths, skills and expertise.
—Daria Rudnik, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Furthermore, as a Jewish man with a direct connection to the horrors that the Nazi regime inflicted on millions of people, Spiegelman recently collaborated with author Joe Sacco on a three-page comic about the alarming situation in Gaza.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Geothermal energy has also garnered fresh interest in the modern AI era, with Google collaborating with startup Fervo Energy in Nevada.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 24 Feb. 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 3 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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