co·op·er·a·tive
kō-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv 
-ˈä-pə-ˌrā-
1
a
: marked by cooperation
cooperative efforts
b
: marked by a willingness and ability to work with others
cooperative neighbors
2
: of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative
a cooperative store
3
: relating to or comprising a program of combined liberal arts and technical studies at different schools
cooperatively
adverb
cooperativeness
noun
: an enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services
Synonyms
Examples of cooperative in a Sentence
Adjective
The witness was very cooperative.
a cooperative space project undertaken by Russia and the U.S.
Recent Examples on the Web
Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
Police interviewed Gabe’s boyfriend — a tow truck driver who met her in December 2021 after someone slashed Gabe’s tires — who was cooperative but couldn’t account for her whereabouts, police said.
—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
Kennedy finds ingenious solutions: schools for the most vulnerable girls, training programs for men to combat domestic violence, safe houses for survivors, community libraries, employment programs, innovative clean-water kiosks, a community cooperative bank.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The driver of the Sequoia remained at the scene and was cooperative with investigators, police said in the release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2024
Living on eucalyptus requires a cooperative community of gut microbes, which help digest the leaves.
—Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The cooperative benefits the mangroves by enforcing the resting periods, and balances the needs of individuals with the group.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024
For now, Netanyahu and Biden seem to be trying to wait each other out, hoping that the other will leave office and thus make his country more cooperative.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
Acknowledging this dichotomy is the first step in fostering a cooperative environment where AI and human intelligence complement each other, filling gaps and augmenting capabilities.
—Somdip Dey, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Maanvi Singh, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
Chef Derek McCann stopped by to share his passion for fresh, local ingredients from their cooperative of regenerative farmers.
—Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024
Unified Command is a cooperative of first responders, recovery crews, and agencies planning to redevelop the bridge and reopen the waterway.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
In an earlier era, when fees from U.S. newspapers provided AP with virtually all of its revenue, such a decision would have represented a financial earthquake for the news cooperative.
—David Bauder, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Numerous power plants and other energy sources operated by governments, corporations or electric cooperatives make up the membership of these grid-maintaining super-entities, which have recently struggled to keep up with demand and keep the lights on.
—Eric MacK, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Sean McGonigal, 72, a leather restoration worker and one of the cooperative’s founders, remembered it as a slightly shabby but vibrant community that welcomed hundreds of artists over the years and hosted rowdy Halloween parties.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
The cooperative narrowed the field and interviewed two finalists, Mangrum said.
—Al Gaspeny, arkansasonline.com, 2 Feb. 2024
There, beans are shoveled into jute bags and trucked to a regional cooperative that receives deliveries from other community centers, as well.
—Mumbi Gitau, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjective
This all dates back to the 1990s, when the MLS cooperative compensation rule was put in place.
—Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
Police interviewed Gabe’s boyfriend — a tow truck driver who met her in December 2021 after someone slashed Gabe’s tires — who was cooperative but couldn’t account for her whereabouts, police said.
—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
Kennedy finds ingenious solutions: schools for the most vulnerable girls, training programs for men to combat domestic violence, safe houses for survivors, community libraries, employment programs, innovative clean-water kiosks, a community cooperative bank.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The driver of the Sequoia remained at the scene and was cooperative with investigators, police said in the release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2024
Living on eucalyptus requires a cooperative community of gut microbes, which help digest the leaves.
—Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The cooperative benefits the mangroves by enforcing the resting periods, and balances the needs of individuals with the group.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024
For now, Netanyahu and Biden seem to be trying to wait each other out, hoping that the other will leave office and thus make his country more cooperative.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
Acknowledging this dichotomy is the first step in fostering a cooperative environment where AI and human intelligence complement each other, filling gaps and augmenting capabilities.
—Somdip Dey, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
These districts were formed in the 19th and 20th centuries as cooperatives, allowing farmers to pool resources to develop water infrastructure.
—Maanvi Singh, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
Chef Derek McCann stopped by to share his passion for fresh, local ingredients from their cooperative of regenerative farmers.
—Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024
Unified Command is a cooperative of first responders, recovery crews, and agencies planning to redevelop the bridge and reopen the waterway.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
In an earlier era, when fees from U.S. newspapers provided AP with virtually all of its revenue, such a decision would have represented a financial earthquake for the news cooperative.
—David Bauder, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Numerous power plants and other energy sources operated by governments, corporations or electric cooperatives make up the membership of these grid-maintaining super-entities, which have recently struggled to keep up with demand and keep the lights on.
—Eric MacK, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Sean McGonigal, 72, a leather restoration worker and one of the cooperative’s founders, remembered it as a slightly shabby but vibrant community that welcomed hundreds of artists over the years and hosted rowdy Halloween parties.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
The cooperative narrowed the field and interviewed two finalists, Mangrum said.
—Al Gaspeny, arkansasonline.com, 2 Feb. 2024
There, beans are shoveled into jute bags and trucked to a regional cooperative that receives deliveries from other community centers, as well.
—Mumbi Gitau, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cooperative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cooperative
Cite this Entry
“Cooperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooperative. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cooperative
1 of 2 adjective
co·op·er·a·tive
kō-ˈäp-(ə-)rət-iv
-ˈäp-ə-ˌrāt-
1
: willing to cooperate
cooperative neighbors
2
: of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative
a cooperative store
cooperative apartments
cooperatively
adverb
cooperativeness
noun
cooperative
2 of 2 noun
: an association owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services
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