colluded; colluding; colludes
: to work together secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest : conspire, plot
It was arithmetically possible, too, for a handful of senators … to collude with the president to approve a treaty betraying some vital interest to a foreign power.—
Jack N. Rakove
Jack N. Rakove… 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
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
David Sirota
Did you know?
Collude Has Latin Roots
The Latin prefix col-, meaning "together," and the verb ludere, "to play," come together to form collude. The related noun collusion has 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.
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
Yet Chicago and Illinois politicians keep colluding with unions and labor organizers to increase labor costs and then wonder where the jobs have gone.
—Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Joyce Carol Oates has created a sinister fable all the more chilling for persuading its readers to collude in the unthinkable.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 17 June 2025
State Farm has also been named as a defendant in an April lawsuit filed by homeowners who accuse dozens of insurers of colluding over the last several years to force them into the California FAIR Plan, the insurer of last resort that offers limited but typically expensive coverage.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Thomas Jefferson and his co-partisans accused Alexander Hamilton and his supporters of colluding with stock-jobbers to line their pockets.
—Kevin R. Kosar, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for collude
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Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Joyce Carol Oates has created a sinister fable all the more chilling for persuading its readers to collude in the unthinkable.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 17 June 2025
State Farm has also been named as a defendant in an April lawsuit filed by homeowners who accuse dozens of insurers of colluding over the last several years to force them into the California FAIR Plan, the insurer of last resort that offers limited but typically expensive coverage.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Thomas Jefferson and his co-partisans accused Alexander Hamilton and his supporters of colluding with stock-jobbers to line their pockets.
—Kevin R. Kosar, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for collude
Cite this Entry
“Collude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collude. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
collude
intransitive verb
col·lude
kə-ˈlüd 
colluded; colluding
: to agree or cooperate secretly for a fraudulent or otherwise illegal purpose
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