collude

verb

col·​lude kə-ˈlüd 

colluded; colluding; colludes

intransitive verb

: to work together secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest : conspire, plot

… the owners started to collude loosely on salaries for free agents.

—William Oscar Johnson and Albert Kim

… the travails of the world's two biggest art-auction businesses, … rivals that now stand accused by the U.S. Justice Department of colluding to rig the auction market by fixing their sales-commission rates.

—Robert Hughes

… argues that while the kids are not entitled to collective representation, major universities are permitted to collude to prevent players from being paid for their work.

—David Sirota

Did you know?

Collude Has Latin Roots

Colluding—working secretly with others to do something deceitful or illegal—is not a game, but you'd never know it if you took your cues on the meaning of collude solely from its etymology. Collude comes from the Latin verb colludere, which in turn combines the prefix com-, meaning "together," and the verb ludere, "to play." Ludere, in turn, comes from ludus, meaning "game, play, or sport." (Ludus is also the source of the adjective ludicrous and the noun interlude). Collude has a related noun—collusion—which carries the specific meaning "secret agreement or cooperation." Despite their playful history, collude and collusion have always suggested illicit trickery rather than good-natured fun.

Synonyms of collude

• plot
• conspire
• scheme

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 on the Web

According to investigative reports, unscrupulous lawyers collude with medical mills and lawsuit financiers to recruit immigrants and people experiencing homelessness to orchestrate accidents, arrange unnecessary surgeries and cash in on inflated settlements. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026

How everyone got to this point The original indictment, unsealed in November, detailed how Clase had allegedly colluded with bettors to predetermine at least nine pitches, dating to May 2023. —Zack Meisel, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026

Lai, an outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily, was found guilty in December of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

The Michigan attorney general’s office alleges the companies have colluded since at least 1980 to maintain reliance on fossil fuels. —Taylor Millard, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin collūdere "to play (with), make sport, (in law) act in collusion with," from col- col- + lūdere "to play" — more at ludicrous

First Known Use

1525, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for collude

• accrued
• allude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• elude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude
• exclude

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Legal Definition

collude

intransitive verb

col·​lude kə-ˈlüd 

colluded; colluding

: to agree or cooperate secretly for a fraudulent or otherwise illegal purpose