cooperate

verb

co·​op·​er·​ate kō-ˈä-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce cooperate (audio)
cooperated; cooperating; cooperates

intransitive verb

1
: to act or work with another or others : act together or in compliance
refused to cooperate with the police
2
: to associate with another or others for mutual benefit
nations cooperating to fight terrorism
cooperator noun

Examples of cooperate in a Sentence

It will be much easier if everyone cooperates. Several organizations cooperated in the relief efforts. The country agreed to cooperate with the other nations on the trade agreement. The mother asked the child to put on his pajamas, but the child refused to cooperate. Witnesses were willing to cooperate.
Recent Examples on the Web The family is cooperating with federal investigators, according to the FBI. Jessica Kegu, CBS News, 19 July 2024 King Charles' royal regalia wasn't cooperating at the State Opening of Parliament. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 18 July 2024 The Canadian rap sensation was uninjured and cooperated with a police investigation. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 July 2024 The Council on Foreign Relations put Terry on unpaid administrative leave, and will cooperate with any investigation, a spokeswoman said. Reuters, NBC News, 17 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for cooperate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cooperate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin cooperatus, past participle of cooperari, from Latin co- + operari to work — more at operate

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cooperate was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near cooperate

Cite this Entry

“Cooperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooperate. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

cooperate

verb
co·​op·​er·​ate kō-ˈäp-(ə-)ˌrāt How to pronounce cooperate (audio)
cooperated; cooperating
: to act, work, or associate with others so as to get something done

More from Merriam-Webster on cooperate

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