collude

verb

col·​lude kə-ˈlüd 

colluded; colluding; colludes

intransitive verb

: 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

… 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

… 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

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.

Synonyms

• compass
• connive
• conspire
• contrive
• intrigue
• machinate
• plot
• put up
• scheme

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

Some, like the Alawite Shiite Muslim faction to which Assad’s family belonged, as well as some Kurds and Christians, are seen as having colluded with the regime. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024

Masimo’s lawsuit claims that Kiani and RTW colluded to artificially increase RTW’s voting power before the proxy battle by both buying stock and acquiring a short position, then unwinding the trades immediately after the company’s annual meeting. —Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024

Both leaders denied any conspiracy to influence the vote, and a subsequent inquiry found no proof that Trump criminally colluded with Russia. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024

The logic behind the decision, per the FTC, was that both men had communicated with the oil cartel OPEC in order to collude on setting crude prices worldwide. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin colludere, from com- + ludere to play, from ludus game — more at ludicrous

First Known Use

1525, in the meaning defined above

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Legal Definition

collude

intransitive verb

col·​lude kə-ˈlüd 

colluded; colluding

: to agree or cooperate secretly for a fraudulent or otherwise illegal purpose