collaborate

1 of 2

verb

col·​lab·​o·​rate kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt 

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.

… most jobs today require some level of extra effort to collaborate with coworkers …

—Jim Harter

2

: to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force

suspected of collaborating with the occupying army

3

: to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected

… other nonprofit research institutions routinely collaborate with for-profit companies on research.

—Lawrence O. Gostin

The two schools collaborate on library services.

collaboration

kə-ˌla-bə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

collaborative

kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrā-tiv, 

-b(ə-)rə- 

adjective or noun

collaboratively

kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrā-tiv-lē 

-b(ə-)rə-

adverb

collaborative

2 of 2

adjective

col·​lab·​o·​ra·​tive kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrā-tiv 

-b(ə-)rə-

: involving or done by two or more people or groups working together : marked or produced by collaboration

a collaborative effort

a collaborative research project

collaboratively adverb

two writers working collaboratively on a project

Did you know?

The Latin prefix com-, meaning "with, together, or jointly," is a bit of a chameleon—it has a habit of changing its appearance depending on what it's next to. For example, if the word it precedes begins with l, com- becomes col-. In the case of collaborate, com- teamed up with the verb laborare ("to labor") to form the Late Latin word collaborare ("to labor together"). Be careful not to confuse collaborate with corroborate, another com- relative. This word was formed when com- (this time shape-shifting to cor-) joined forces with the Latin word robur ("strength"). Together, by way of the Latin verb corroborare, they created the meaning "to support or help prove (a statement, theory, etc.) by providing information or evidence," which carried over into the English word corroborate.

Synonyms of collaborate

Verb

• cooperate
• unite

Examples of collaborate in a Sentence

Verb

The two companies agreed to collaborate.

He was suspected of collaborating with the occupying army.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

According to the researchers, a significant number of artists that collaborated with the Nazis largely avoided backlash for decades. —Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 11 June 2026

Weiss and Bilton had grown fond of each other while collaborating on numerous documentary projects for Netflix that never saw the light of day. —Marlow Stern, Variety, 11 June 2026

In Reunited, Vanity Fair hosts a conversation between two awards contenders who have collaborated on a previous project. —Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2026

Congratulate teammates, celebrate project milestones, and share lessons learned from collaborating with others. —William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for collaborate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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Kids Definition

collaborate

verb

col·​lab·​o·​rate kə-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt 

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

kə-ˌlab-ə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

collaborationist

-sh(ə-)nəst

noun

collaborator

kə-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

collaborate

intransitive verb

col·​lab·​o·​rate kə-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt 

collaborated; collaborating

: to work jointly with others in some endeavor