cooperative

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

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

—

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

Deputies said the man was not cooperative in the investigation.

— david harris, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Man critically injured after being shot in Orange County," 13 Apr. 2018
But Bannon believes Trump can argue he was given poor counsel by his lawyers on Russia, including Ty Cobb, who has encouraged a cooperative approach to Mueller's team.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Steve Bannon pitching White House on proposal to reel in Mueller inquiry," 12 Apr. 2018
Police contacted the woman who was generally not cooperative.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "Driver swerved to avoid hitting Pikachu: Forest Grove police log," 9 Apr. 2018
Fortnite is a cooperative survival game that was released as an early-access title last July without much fanfare.

— nick schwartz, For The Win, "Fortnite is taking over the sports world," 31 Mar. 2018
The Department of Interior can help tribes combat drug dealing through cooperative law-enforcement actions, said Zinke, who also met this week with tribes in Arizona and Wisconsin on the opioid issue.

— becky kramer, The Seattle Times, "Interior Secretary Zinke wants Spokane Tribe compensated for loss of land and lifestyle to Grand Coulee Dam," 24 Mar. 2018
D'Amico's relationship with Gianni's sister, Donatella, proved less than cooperative, especially following Gianni's death.

— leah silverman, Town & Country, "Where Is Gianni Versace's Boyfriend, Antonio D'Amico, Now?," 21 Mar. 2018
The new location at 919 20th St. in Sacramento is an expansion of the cooperative’s existing wholesale, retail and café operations.

— mark glover, sacbee, "Sacramento coffee cooperative opening new site in midtown | The Sacramento Bee," 19 Mar. 2018
The drivers of both cars remained on the scene and were cooperative, police said, and the woman was taken to a hospital.

— rick barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Woman severely injured walking into traffic; 4 others suffer gunshot wounds," 17 Mar. 2018

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

: 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

On its website, Advantis Credit Union is described as a not-for-profit financial cooperative, and Oregon's fifth largest credit union, with more than 73,000 members.

— kristi turnquist, OregonLive.com, "Advantis Credit Union tweet says ads are being pulled from KATU," 5 Apr. 2018
The legislation also includes a fix for a provision in the new GOP tax law that favored grain cooperatives over traditional agricultural corporations.

— author: mike debonis, erica werner, Anchorage Daily News, "Congress passes budget with little time to spare," 23 Mar. 2018
An even bigger earner than Buzzi’s cooperative was said to be a $110 million three-year contract to manage Europe’s largest migrant reception center at Mineo in eastern Sicily.

— alex perry, Newsweek, "Migrants and the New Mediterranean Mafia," 10 June 2015
Now farmers can sell to cooperatives or corporations and get the larger break.

— deirdre shesgreen and eliza collins, USA TODAY, "What's in – and what's out – of the $1.3 trillion spending bill," 21 Mar. 2018
Ownership of utilities varies from nonprofits to cooperatives to for-profits.

— drew anthony smith, Smithsonian, "Is a Texas Town the Future of Renewable Energy?," 21 Mar. 2018
Republicans continued to press to fix a glitch in the recent tax bill that subsidizes grain sales to cooperatives at the expense of for-profit grain companies, lawmakers said.

— andrew taylor, chicagotribune.com, "Border wall holds up $1.3 trillion U.S. spending bill with Friday deadline," 20 Mar. 2018
And Republicans appeared likely to fail in a bid to fix a glitch in the recent tax bill that subsidizes grain sales to cooperatives at the expense of for-profit grain companies, several aides said.

— andrew taylor, BostonGlobe.com, "Democrats reject immigration deal as budget deadline nears," 19 Mar. 2018
And Republicans appeared likely to fail in a bid to fix a glitch in the recent tax bill that subsidizes grain sales to cooperatives at the expense of for-profit grain companies, several aides said.

— andrew taylor, chicagotribune.com, "Democrats reject immigration deal as budget deadline nears," 19 Mar. 2018

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

adjective

: 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

: 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

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

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

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

Law Dictionary

cooperative

adjective

: of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative

cooperative

noun co·op·er·a·tive

: 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