cooperative

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adjective co·op·er·a·tive \ kō-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv , -ˈä-pə-ˌrā- \

Definition of cooperative

1 a :marked by cooperation

cooperative efforts

b :marked by a willingness and ability to work with others

cooperative neighbors

2 :of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative

a cooperative store

3 :relating to or comprising a program of combined liberal arts and technical studies at different schools

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cooperatively

adverb

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cooperativeness

noun

See cooperative defined for English-language learners

See cooperative defined for kids

Examples of cooperative in a Sentence

The witness was very cooperative.
a cooperative space project undertaken by Russia and the U.S.

Recent Examples of cooperative from the Web

In June, Alec Gerry, Ph.D., cooperative extension specialist and professor of entomology at UCR received the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award in Veterinary Entomology for outstanding contributions to animal health and productivity.

— nicole miller-coleman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Don't look now, but a host of world-class entomologists are in your back yard," 6 Aug. 2017
Researchers have observed that job interviews carried out in darkness are less likely to be skewed by biases, and that groups of people interacting in low light may be more cooperative and less prone to stereotyping one another.

— patrick blanchfield, Esquire, "Shot in the Dark," 1 Aug. 2017
The Edgewood Small Area Study is an implementation of APG's Joint Land Use Study, or JLUS, which advances the partnership between the community and the installation through resource planning and cooperative land use, the county announcement states.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Harford County to host July 18 public forum on Edgewood's future," 19 July 2017
The victim was not cooperative with investigators, saying only that he had been shot and beaten, the incident report said.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "Metairie man shot Friday after someone kicked in front door: JPSO," 17 July 2017
Part of the vision involves placing the governance and financing of air traffic control under a nonprofit, nongovernmental cooperative.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Elaine Chao boosts Trump plan for revamping transportation," 14 July 2017
Six-month-old cooperative Clifton Market is urging its owners to shop more at the store to help boost its sales and capital.

— sharon coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Clifton Market sales 'well below' projections," 6 July 2017
But there are signs that this adversarial relationship is starting to give way to a more cooperative dynamic.

— alana semuels, The Atlantic, "Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Developers," 5 July 2017
Situated on a bluff with the Alaska Range and Denali visible to the west and the Talkeetna Mountains to the east, K'esugi Ken is part of a long-term cooperative effort between the borough, the Alaska State Parks system and the National Park Service.

— erin kirkland, Alaska Dispatch News, "New K’esugi Ken Campground: Go for the views, stay for the fun," 4 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of cooperative

see cooperate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1603

See Words from the same year

cooperative Synonyms

cooperative

noun

Definition of cooperative

:an enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services

See cooperative defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of cooperative from the Web

Bart Massey, the USA Drone Port project director, said finding qualified professionals is one problem the cooperative hopes to solve.

— naomi nix, The Atlantic, "The Value of Bringing Drones to the Classroom," 18 Aug. 2017
So a fledgling effort is underway to make the grocery store a cooperative, likely the first to emerge in Kansas since the 1970s.

— scott canon, kansascity, "Small towns fight to save grocery stores — and their vitality," 7 Aug. 2017
For 25 years, the cooperative has mastered the art and science of compressing air, storing it in a salt cavern beneath the earth, and using it to produce electricity.

— molly a. seltzer, Smithsonian, "Why Salt Is This Power Plant’s Most Valuable Asset," 4 Aug. 2017
In his speech, Castro also took aim at experimental non-agricultural cooperatives.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Cuba reins in entrepreneurs who take free enterprise too far," 31 July 2017
In Walsh, Colo.; Iola, Kan.; and Anita, Iowa, residents rescued their markets by forming cooperatives or public-private partnerships.

— julie turkewitz, New York Times, "Who Wants to Run That Mom-and-Pop Market? Almost No One," 26 July 2017
Growers would be allowed to form agricultural cooperatives without running afoul of antitrust laws.

— jonathan j. cooper, The Cannabist, "California’s new cannabis rules create path to organic grows, delivery, regional naming and more," 15 June 2017
Not much more than a decade ago, most of the grapes in the Languedoc—carignane, grenache, grenache blanc—were grown to feed a huge table-wine cooperative.

— katherine wheelock, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Languedoc Is Like Nowhere Else in France," 9 June 2017
The cooperative and Minnesota Power will each receive about 250 megawatts of power from the Nemadji Trail Energy Center.

— brooks johnson, Twin Cities, "Minnesota Power planning $700M gas-fired power plant in Superior, Wis.," 9 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of cooperative

see cooperate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1883

See Words from the same year

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

COOPERATIVE Defined for English Language Learners

cooperative

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adjective

Definition of cooperative for English Language Learners

: willing to be helpful by doing what someone wants or asks for
: involving two or more people or groups working together to do something
: relating to a business or organization that is owned and operated by the people who work there or the people who use its services

cooperative

noun

Definition of cooperative for English Language Learners

: a business or organization that is owned and operated by the people who work there or the people who use its services

COOPERATIVE Defined for Kids

cooperative

play

adjective co·op·er·a·tive \ kō-ˈä-pə-rə-tiv \

Definition of cooperative for Students

1 :willing to work with others

2 :relating to an organization owned by and operated by the people who work there or use its services

a cooperative store

cooperative

noun

Definition of cooperative for Students

:an organization owned and operated by the people who work there or use its services

Law Dictionary

cooperative

adjective

legal Definition of cooperative

:of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative

cooperative

noun co·op·er·a·tive

legal Definition of cooperative

:an enterprise or organization (as for banking and credit services or the ownership of residential property) that is owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services — called also co-op; compare condominium 1