collusion

noun col·lu·sion \ kə-ˈlü-zhən \

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

The charges against the DePaul University alumnus come from Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign's alleged ties and collusion with Russia.

— kate shepherd, Chicago Reader, "News / Did You Read __________? Chicagoan, former Trump aide pleads guilty to making false statements to the FBI, and other news," 31 Oct. 2017
The Republicans have developed a bizarre theory of alt-collusion, which holds that the real interference was Russia feeding false allegations against Donald Trump to private investigator Christopher Steele.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "The Republican Party Is Gearing Up for War on the Rule of Law," 30 Oct. 2017
The departure of these employees was not related to issues involving market collusion, front-running or market manipulation.

— nicole hong, WSJ, "U.S. Investigating Foreign-Exchange Trading at Wells Fargo," 27 Oct. 2017
The departure of these employees was not related to issues involving market collusion, front running, or market manipulation.

— rick rothacker, charlotteobserver, "Federal prosecutors investigating Wells Fargo foreign-exchange business, report says | Charlotte Observer," 27 Oct. 2017
Special counsel Robert Mueller has been focusing on potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

— ginger adams otis, San Antonio Express-News, "Report: Arrests could come Monday as first criminal charges OK’d in Mueller’s Russia probe," 27 Oct. 2017
The former chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign and a campaign official are the first two names to surface in a Justice Department probe of possible collusion with the Russian government to affect the outcome of last year's election.

— carlie kollath wells, NOLA.com, "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told to surrender to FBI: reports," 30 Oct. 2017
The president took to Twitter on Friday morning not only to claim that there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and the Kremlin, but also to highlight the cost of the multiple investigations.

— vanityfair.com, "Are Republicans Trying to Shortchange the Russia Investigations?," 27 Oct. 2017
The committee, like its Senate counterpart, has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and any collusion with the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.

— billy house, Bloomberg.com, "Obama Official Rhodes Is Said to Appear at House Panel Wednesday," 24 Oct. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

collusion Synonyms

Synonyms

complicity, connivance, conspiracy;

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.