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 These smart robots can adapt to their environments, make decisions in real time and even collaborate with human workers in ways that were previously unimaginable. Florian Pestoni, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024 The almost unified message was: come to Asia, be prepared to collaborate. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2024 However, Madonna has now revealed that the trio also collaborated on an official music video, which was released this week in Fortnite's Fortnite Festival game mode. Jade Gomez, People.com, 27 Sep. 2024 Industry leaders collaborated on a white paper urging the UK government to make moves and implement variable extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees immediately to support sustainability and establish a circular economy in the region’s fashion industry. Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for collaborate 

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

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of collaborate was in 1837

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Dictionary Entries Near collaborate

Cite this Entry

“Collaborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collaborate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

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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