colleague
noun
col·league
ˈkä-(ˌ)lēg 
: an associate or coworker in a workplace or profession and often of similar rank or status : a fellow worker or professional
… team-building exercises can also help colleagues understand one another …—
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Did you know?
Which of the following words come from the same source as colleague: college, legacy, collaborate, allegation, collar, relegate, delegate? It might be easier to guess if you know that the ancestor in question is legare, a Latin verb meaning "to choose or send as a deputy or emissary" or "to bequeath." All of the words in the list above except collaborate (which comes from the Latin collaborare, meaning "to labor together") and collar (from collum, collus, Latin for "neck") are descendants of legare.
Examples of colleague in a Sentence
Not since Cronkite's CBS mentor and colleague Edward R. Murrow lifted Senator Joe McCarthy by the skunk tail for public inspection had one TV broadcast reflected such a fateful climate change in public opinion.
—James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003
My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees.
—George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999
Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related.
—Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998
… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian …
—John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995
A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.
on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome
James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003
My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees.
—George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999
Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related.
—Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998
… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian …
—John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995
A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.
on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, his foot swung upward and struck him painfully, sending him collapsing to the floor as colleagues nearby burst into laughter.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
She was asked to move into a new office for a white colleague transferring into the division, who the special victims unit captain wanted to place in a bigger office, according to the filing.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
Smith was a seven-year veteran of the Henry County Police Department and was known among colleagues for his commitment to public safety and de-escalation.
—Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Don Shula is spinning in his grave; that or enduring a lot of guff from old football colleagues up in heaven.
—Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colleague
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Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
She was asked to move into a new office for a white colleague transferring into the division, who the special victims unit captain wanted to place in a bigger office, according to the filing.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
Smith was a seven-year veteran of the Henry County Police Department and was known among colleagues for his commitment to public safety and de-escalation.
—Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Don Shula is spinning in his grave; that or enduring a lot of guff from old football colleagues up in heaven.
—Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colleague
Cite this Entry
“Colleague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colleague. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colleague
noun
col·league
ˈkäl-ˌēg
: an associate in a profession or office
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