colleague
noun
col·league
ˈkä-(ˌ)lēg 
: an associate or coworker in a workplace or profession and often of similar rank or status : a fellow worker or professional
… team-building exercises can also help colleagues understand one another …—
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States News Service
Did you know?
Which of the following words come from the same source as colleague: college, legacy, collaborate, allegation, collar, relegate, delegate? It might be easier to guess if you know that the ancestor in question is legare, a Latin verb meaning "to choose or send as a deputy or emissary" or "to bequeath." All of the words in the list above except collaborate (which comes from the Latin collaborare, meaning "to labor together") and collar (from collum, collus, Latin for "neck") are descendants of legare.
Examples of colleague in a Sentence
Not since Cronkite's CBS mentor and colleague Edward R. Murrow lifted Senator Joe McCarthy by the skunk tail for public inspection had one TV broadcast reflected such a fateful climate change in public opinion.
—James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003
My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees.
—George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999
Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related.
—Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998
… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian …
—John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995
A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.
on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome
James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003
My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees.
—George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999
Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related.
—Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998
… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian …
—John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995
A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.
on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome
Recent Examples on the Web
That one person is supposed to deliver a company’s entire Net Zero transition, wrangle data from hundreds of suppliers, meet evolving regulations, educate colleagues, and somehow keep everyone motivated.
—Gus Bartholomew, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025
While that included Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial suspension in September, more relevant was CBS’ surprise decision this summer to cancel The Late Show, which is hosted by Stewart’s old colleague Stephen Colbert.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Lack and his colleagues’ investigations into why, which played out over the next 15 years, led to last month’s remarkable finding that the incidence of peanut allergies in the US – after a precipitous rise – appeared to have fallen dramatically.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Cooking for another person—family, a friend, or a colleague—is such a simple, basic act of nurturing.
—Erin McMullen, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colleague
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Gus Bartholomew, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025
While that included Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial suspension in September, more relevant was CBS’ surprise decision this summer to cancel The Late Show, which is hosted by Stewart’s old colleague Stephen Colbert.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Lack and his colleagues’ investigations into why, which played out over the next 15 years, led to last month’s remarkable finding that the incidence of peanut allergies in the US – after a precipitous rise – appeared to have fallen dramatically.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Cooking for another person—family, a friend, or a colleague—is such a simple, basic act of nurturing.
—Erin McMullen, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colleague
Cite this Entry
“Colleague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colleague. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colleague
noun
col·league
ˈkäl-ˌēg
: an associate in a profession or office
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