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.
Synonyms
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
Federal prosecutors allege that the landlords have used RealPage pricing software to collude and artificially raise rents.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 9 Jan. 2025
Several large landlords allegedly colluded in an effort to keep apartment rents high, including by using an algorithm that influences prices, according to new legal filings by the Colorado attorney general, the U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of other states.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2025
Many of the dead were most likely the victims of the severe violence Coahuila state endured at the hands of the Los Zetas cartel and the security forces that colluded with them, with homicides peaking in 2012.
—Fred Ramos, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
But Sims also worries that his wife was trying to keep him away from Bernard because she’s been secretly colluding with the rebels.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for collude 
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Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 9 Jan. 2025
Several large landlords allegedly colluded in an effort to keep apartment rents high, including by using an algorithm that influences prices, according to new legal filings by the Colorado attorney general, the U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of other states.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2025
Many of the dead were most likely the victims of the severe violence Coahuila state endured at the hands of the Los Zetas cartel and the security forces that colluded with them, with homicides peaking in 2012.
—Fred Ramos, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
But Sims also worries that his wife was trying to keep him away from Bernard because she’s been secretly colluding with the rebels.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for collude
Dictionary Entries Near collude
Cite this Entry
“Collude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collude. Accessed 17 Jan. 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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