cooperate

verb

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

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.
Candidates staked out starkly different views on California’s shield laws and whether the state should cooperate with out‑of‑state prosecutions of doctors. James Ward, USA Today, 15 May 2026 This comes after an apparent rift between local and federal authorities searching for Guthrie surfaced publicly last week when FBI Director Kash Patel accused Nanos’ department of not cooperating with the bureau during the case’s early days. Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026 Alex is fully cooperating with SLED in their investigations into his shooting, opioid use and the search to find the person or people responsible for the murder of his wife and son. Marlene Lenthang, ABC News, 14 May 2026 All seven state measures go beyond what's federally required, which is to cooperate with enforcement officers by providing personal information of recipients when asked. Andrew Jones, CBS News, 14 May 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cooperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooperate. Accessed 16 May. 2026.

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

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