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

And which corporations or corporate partnerships, which are such a huge part, of course, of the Fallout universe, may have been colluding and why? —Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026

According to the lawsuit, the former employee later admitted to colluding with a former Denny’s supervisor to divert the funds. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026

Antitrust laws are designed to prevent organizations and businesses from suppressing competition in their fields, either through working together (colluding) or through imposing prohibitive structures on participants in those fields. —Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026

Analysts say the Cartel de los Soles is not a singular organization, but instead refers to elements within the Venezuelan government accused of colluding with drug cartels. —CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin colludere, from com- + ludere to play, from ludus game — 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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Legal Definition

collude

intransitive verb

col·​lude kə-ˈlüd 

colluded; colluding

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