collusion

noun col·lu·sion \ kə-ˈlü-zhən \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

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

—

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

USA TODAY Sports Denver Broncos general manager John Elway gave an hour-long deposition Tuesday to lawyers of Colin Kaepernick in the quarterback’s collusion grievance against the NFL, sources told 9NEWS.

— mike klis, USA TODAY, "John Elway gives deposition in Colin Kaepernick collusion case against NFL," 16 May 2018
Before formally filing a collusion grievance against the NFL, Reid had visited the Cincinnati Bengals to discuss playing football for their organization.

— ameer hasan loggins, The Root, "The NFL Is Being Guided by an Immoral Compass," 10 May 2018
Reid filed his own collusion grievance against the NFL last week.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "Report: Colin Kaepernick Not In Seahawks' Plans Anymore," 10 May 2018
Kaepernick and Reid have each filed a collusion grievance against the NFL owners, alleging the owners have colluded in not signing either player.

— geoffrey c. arnold, OregonLive.com, "NFL pariahs Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid work out together," 9 May 2018
With safety Eric Reid filing a collusion grievance against the NFL, Namath again offered his words of encouragement to the players and their protests against racial injustice.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Joe Namath: Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid deserve to be on NFL teams," 3 May 2018
Kaepernick, who has been a free agent since March 2017, filed a similar collusion grievance against the league in October.

— jill martin, CNN, "Eric Reid files grievance against the NFL, saying teams are colluding to deny him a job," 2 May 2018
The House report delivers abundant new ammunition to President Trump, making an extensive case that allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin are unfounded.

— author: karoun demirjian, Anchorage Daily News, "House Republicans criticize intelligence community in Russia report," 27 Apr. 2018
Mueller, a former FBI director, is leading a federal probe of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

— nataliya vasilyeva, The Seattle Times, "Russian lawyer questions why Mueller hasn’t contacted her," 22 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined above

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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.