collaborate

verb

col·​lab·​o·​rate kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt How to pronounce collaborate (audio)
collaborated; collaborating

intransitive verb

1
: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor
An international team of scientists collaborated on the study.
2
: to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force
suspected of collaborating with the enemy
3
: to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected
The two schools collaborate on library services.
collaboration noun
collaborative
kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrā-tiv
-b(ə-)rə- How to pronounce collaborate (audio)
adjective or noun
collaboratively adverb

Did you know?

The Latin prefix com-, meaning "with, together, or jointly," is a bit of a chameleon—it has a tricky habit of changing its appearance depending on what it's next to. If the word it precedes begins with l, com- becomes col- (as in colleague, collect, and collide). In the case of collaborate, com- teamed up with laborare ("to labor") to form Late Latin collaborare ("to labor together").

Examples of collaborate in a Sentence

The two companies agreed to collaborate. He was suspected of collaborating with the occupying army.
Recent Examples on the Web McGrath and Roseberry have collaborated in past seasons on super-crystal looks (seen on both show attendee Doja Cat and models), but the freshness of spring 2024's look came in the reference and material. Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2023 As if one heartthrob wasn’t enough, Jungkook of BTS invited Jack Harlow to collaborate with him on his second solo single. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2023 But the identity remained a mystery until a new investigator, Dylan Hendricks, took over the case in 2020 and collaborated with the State Bureau of Investigation in North Carolina. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2023 As part of the new deal, the NFL star will appear in a series of campaigns for Perry Ellis, and collaborate with the brand on future menswear releases. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2023 As part of the investigation, the news organizations collaborated with Mediahuis NRC, the publisher of one of the largest newspapers in the Netherlands, where Philips’ parent company is located. Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, 27 Sep. 2023 Economist and Stanford University professor Erik Brynjolfsson says using AI to complete some tasks and collaborate with employees could cause worker productivity to double. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2023 The Grammy-winning pop star gets candid about preparing to tour the globe, collaborating with her idols, and hanging up on people with her pink Motorola Razr. September 27, 2023 There’s never been a pop star quite like Kim Petras. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 27 Sep. 2023 Music Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ will enter its 2023 era this October Aug. 10, 2023 Since then, Swift and Ice Spice have collaborated on a song and maintained a friendship that was on full display during the MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday night. Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collaborate.' 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

Late Latin collaboratus, past participle of collaborare to labor together, from Latin com- + laborare to labor — more at labor

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of collaborate was in 1871

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near collaborate

Cite this Entry

“Collaborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collaborate. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

collaborate

verb
col·​lab·​o·​rate kə-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce collaborate (audio)
collaborated; collaborating
1
: to work with others (as in writing a book)
2
: to cooperate with an enemy force that has taken over one's country
collaboration noun
collaborationist
-sh(ə-)nəst
noun
collaborator noun

Legal Definition

collaborate

intransitive verb
col·​lab·​o·​rate kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt How to pronounce collaborate (audio)
collaborated; collaborating
: to work jointly with others in some endeavor

More from Merriam-Webster on collaborate

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