cooperate

verb

co·​op·​er·​ate kō-ˈä-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce cooperate (audio)
cooperated; cooperating; cooperates

intransitive verb

1
: to act or work with another or others : act together or in compliance
refused to cooperate with the police
2
: to associate with another or others for mutual benefit
nations cooperating to fight terrorism
cooperator noun

Examples of cooperate in a Sentence

It will be much easier if everyone cooperates. Several organizations cooperated in the relief efforts. The country agreed to cooperate with the other nations on the trade agreement. The mother asked the child to put on his pajamas, but the child refused to cooperate. Witnesses were willing to cooperate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In November, the Chicago Public Schools' Board of Education passed a resolution stating that schools would not cooperate with ICE in enforcing immigration laws. Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 Lawmakers from both parties, who passed the law in April, fear TikTok could cooperate with the Chinese government to use the app for spying or nefarious data collection. Bobby Allyn, NPR, 20 Jan. 2025 As Democrats and progressive activists reach the acceptance phase of their political grief, there is less uniformity in confronting or cooperating with the returning Trump administration. Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2025 Tsao said the redefined terms of Immigration Officer and Immigration Detainer could be applied to the National Guard and the military and that Evanston authorities would be prohibited from cooperating with them. Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for cooperate 

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin cooperatus, past participle of cooperari, from Latin co- + operari to work — more at operate

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cooperate was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near cooperate

Cite this Entry

“Cooperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooperate. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

cooperate

verb
co·​op·​er·​ate kō-ˈäp-(ə-)ˌrāt How to pronounce cooperate (audio)
cooperated; cooperating
: to act, work, or associate with others so as to get something done

More from Merriam-Webster on cooperate

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