collude

play

verb col·lude \ kə-ˈlüd \

Updated on: 8 Aug 2017

Definition of collude

colluded; colluding

intransitive verb

:conspire, plot

colluded to keep prices high

See collude defined for English-language learners

collude was our Word of the Day on 08/30/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of collude in a Sentence

The two companies had colluded to fix prices.
accused of colluding to block the sale of the vacant land

Recent Examples of collude from the Web

Earlier this year, Trump fired Comey as the investigation into whether his administration colluded with Russian officials in the election began to gain steam.

— christina coleman, Essence.com, "Former FBI Director James Comey Will Deliver Howard University's Opening Convocation Keynote Speech," 23 Aug. 2017
On Tuesday, Pishevar went even further, accusing Benchmark of seeking to oust board member Arianna Huffington, too, and of colluding with another venture-capital firm to strip Kalanick of his power.

— vanityfair.com, "A Major Uber Investor Is Allegedly Trying to Oust Arianna Huffington," 16 Aug. 2017
Washington (AP) -- President Donald Trump's son-in-law told a group of congressional interns that the Trump campaign couldn't have colluded with Russia because the team was too dysfunctional and disorganized to coordinate with a foreign government.

— Bloomberg.com, "Kushner Says Trump Campaign Was Too Dysfunctional to Collude," 1 Aug. 2017
This is What Happened in Anthony Scaramucci's 10 Days at the White House [TIME] Kushner to Interns: Trump Team Too Disorganized to Collude With Russia [Foreign Policy] The Mooch is Dead!

— zeke j miller, Time, "The Toughest Job in Washington," 1 Aug. 2017
The government claims the charity was really a sham, set up by Holifield and former Fiat Chrysler Vice President Al Iacobelli, who were supposed to be rivals at the bargaining table but were colluding to line their own pockets, along with Morgan's.

— tresa baldas, Detroit Free Press, "Friends defend UAW exec's widow in alleged $2.2M scam: 'She is not (a) gold digger'," 31 July 2017
While Sessions aggressively pushed back on any suggestion that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, his appearance riled Trump, who closely monitored it on cable television, according to people close to the president.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "Warm start for Trump, Sessions turns into icy standoff," 31 July 2017
Indeed, the email chain released by Trump Jr. shows someone almost eager to collude with Russia to elect Trump, if collusion were offered.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "Trump’s challenges escalate, with son’s email of ‘love’ for Russia help," 11 July 2017
A special counsel and multiple congressional committees are investigating whether Trump associates colluded with Russia.

— madeleine winer, The Courier-Journal, "Trump Jr.'s Russia emails: Yarmuth calls for 'consequences,' McConnell deflects questions," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'collude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

collude Has Latin Roots

Our English "lude" words (allude, collude, delude, elude, and prelude) are based on the Latin verb ludere, meaning "to play." Collude dates back to 1525 and combines ludere and the prefix col-, meaning "with" or "together." The verb is younger than the related noun collusion, which appeared sometime in the 14th century with the specific meaning "secret agreement or cooperation." Despite their playful history, collude and collusion have always suggested deceit or trickery rather than good-natured fun.