Word of the Day

: September 20, 2021

collude

verb kuh-LOOD

What It Means

Collude means "to conspire or plot."

// The two companies had colluded to keep prices high.

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collude in Context

"Seven … maintenance managers were federally charged … with bilking the transit agency out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by colluding with vendors to charge for goods that were never provided and pocketing the proceeds." — Thomas Fitzgerald and Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12 Aug. 2021

Did You Know?

The Latin prefix col-, meaning "together," and the verb ludere, "to play," come together to form collude. The related noun collusion has the specific meaning "secret agreement or cooperation." Despite their playful history, collude and collusion have always suggested deceit or trickery rather than good-natured fun.