collude

verb

col·​lude kə-ˈlüd How to pronounce collude (audio)
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.

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 Dartmouth College, and Rice, Vanderbilt and Northwestern universities agreed to pay a total of $166 million to settle claims filed in a 2022 class action lawsuit alleging the schools colluded on the amount of financial aid awarded to students, while favoring applicants from wealthier families. Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 This idea of people watching five times, viewers colluding on theories, is that invigorating for you, this experience of TV and having this level of interactivity with the audience? Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024 In 2020, when social justice protests swept the nation after the murder of George Floyd, Phoenix police falsely claimed 15 protesters were working together as a gang and colluded with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to charge the individuals. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024 Israel has long accused the UNRWA of colluding with Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza and launched the attacks on Oct. 7. Beatrice Guzzardi, NBC News, 28 Jan. 2024 Her case underscores the importance of having systems in place that prevent physicians from unwittingly colluding with abusers and inadvertently harming vulnerable victims. Vlad Velicu, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2024 Further roiling the waters, Flannery is suing a group of Solano landowners for allegedly colluding to inflate their property values. Eliyahu Kamisher, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023 His campaign is in part based on online conspiracy theories, for example one suggesting that researchers colluded with the Department of Homeland Security to censor 22 million tweets during the 2020 election. Stephan Lewandowsky, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2024 As Comer tells it, then-VP Biden 'colluded' with this business by ... Will Steakin, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of collude was in 1525

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Dictionary Entries Near collude

Cite this Entry

“Collude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collude. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

collude

intransitive verb
col·​lude kə-ˈlüd How to pronounce collude (audio)
colluded; colluding
: to agree or cooperate secretly for a fraudulent or otherwise illegal purpose

More from Merriam-Webster on collude

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