collusion

play

noun col·lu·sion \ kə-ˈlü-zhən \

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of collusion

:secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose

acting in collusion with the enemy

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collusive

play \kə-ˈlü-siv, -ziv\ adjective

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collusively

adverb

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Examples of collusion in a Sentence

The company was acting in collusion with manufacturers to inflate prices.
there was collusion between the two companies to fix prices

Recent Examples of collusion from the Web

As investigators look into whether there was any collusion between Russia and members of the Trump campaign, these exchanges provide evidence of direct communications between top Trump and Putin officials.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "Showtime Hit With Lawsuits Over ‘Grainy’ Mayweather Fight Livestream," 30 Aug. 2017
U.S. investigators are probing whether there was collusion between the Kremlin and Trump’s Republican presidential campaign.

— reuters, Time, "Report Says President Trump Dictated His Son's Misleading Statement on Russia Meeting," 31 July 2017
But that cordial relationship, amid revelations of Russian meddling in U.S. elections and investigations into possible collusion between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign, hasn't served Trump well of late.

— evan halper, latimes.com, "Trump unleashes on Twitter after a tough week," 29 July 2017
Which is pretty brazen considering these people have spent the better part of a year telling us there was absolutely no collusion.

— jack moore, GQ, "Donald Trump's Lawyer's Excuse for Donald Trump Jr.'s Russia Meeting Makes No Sense," 17 July 2017
Both events garnered attention in light of the ongoing investigations into potential collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.

— alana abramson, Time, "Could Jared Kushner Actually Lose His Security Clearance? We Asked the Experts," 17 July 2017
Perceptions about the role of Russia in the 2016 election and possible collusion or cooperation with Trump campaign associates continue to be a drag on the president, though like many other questions, results show a clear partisan divide.

— scott clement, dan balz, Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump’s approval rating takes hit," 16 July 2017
The White House denied that there had been any collusion between Donald Trump’s election campaign and the Russian authorities, after e-mails surfaced of a meeting between Donald Trump junior and a Russian lawyer.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 13 July 2017
Wildstein also handed over texts and emails that demonstrated collusion with his former supervisor, Bill Baroni, and Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly.

— aria bendix, The Atlantic, "‘Bridgegate’ Mastermind Avoids Prison Sentence," 12 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of collusion

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin collusion-, collusio, from colludere — see collude

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First Known Use: 14th century

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collusion Synonyms

Synonyms

complicity, connivance, conspiracy

Related Words

chicanery, foul play, skulduggery (or skullduggery); double-dealing, duplicity; cover-up, frame-up, setup; conspiration, intrigue, plot, scheme

Financial Definition of COLLUSION

collusion

noun

What It Is

Collusion, also known as price rigging or price fixing, occurs when several individuals and/or businesses agree to set the price for something.

How It Works

For example, let’s assume that there are four major cable providers in the U.S. The four companies meet secretly and agree not to compete with one another for customers in certain geographic areas of the country. To accomplish this, they agree on which of the four providers will "get" each territory by offering the best price or service in that territory. The other three firms agree to not offer a lower price in that territory. In return, each of the three other firms get their own territory with the same agreement. By doing this, the four providers ensure that no other competitors will enter the markets, thereby preserving their profits and territories as a whole.

In the stock market, traders with inside information might collude on trades in order to benefit from the inside information.