collaborator

noun

col·​lab·​o·​ra·​tor kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrā-tər 

: a person who collaborates with another: such as

a

: someone who works with another person or group

They thanked their collaborators on the project.

With our students and collaborators, we have developed … a tool that couples a video camera with specialized computation.

—Frédo Durand et al.

b

: someone who assists an enemy (such as an invader or part of an occupying force)

… the Germans had allies and collaborators who, whether from conviction or perceived necessity, sought a privileged place in Hitler's New Order.

—Robert Skidelsky

Examples of collaborator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the computational screening, collaborators at Rice University synthesized the candidate materials into real samples. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

Working again with collaborators Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Shahzad Ismaily (Ceramic Dog) and joined by Nick Hakim and drummer Tom Skinner (the Smile), Orton uses The Ground Above to create weighty songs that deal with both joy and sadness. — David Harris, SPIN, 29 June 2026

Alas, Ligeti proved to be an extraordinarily difficult collaborator, his manic perfectionism colliding with practical reality and leading to unpleasant scenes. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

For the show, George, who was 18 at the time, wore a plaid suit designed by his mother, who was his clothing collaborator during his youth. — David Chiu, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for collaborator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator
• coordinator