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.
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
Actors may be influenced by emotion or misinformation, collude or form cartels, misunderstand incentives or lack information.
—Ali Faizan Rizvi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
In 2024, the Biden administration also sued the company, accusing its algorithm of enabling landlords to collude on pricing and suppress competition, according to reporting by Marketplace.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2025
Officials are often more likely to profit than be punished for colluding with cartels.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2025
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Williams extensively colluded with the inmates.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for collude
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Ali Faizan Rizvi, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
In 2024, the Biden administration also sued the company, accusing its algorithm of enabling landlords to collude on pricing and suppress competition, according to reporting by Marketplace.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2025
Officials are often more likely to profit than be punished for colluding with cartels.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2025
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Williams extensively colluded with the inmates.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for collude
Cite this Entry
“Collude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collude. Accessed 8 Aug. 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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