cooperative

or co-op·er·a·tive

[ koh-op-er-uh-tiv, -op-ruh-tiv, -op-uh-rey-tiv ]
See synonyms for: cooperativecooperativescooperativelycooperativeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit.

  2. demonstrating a willingness to cooperate: The librarian was cooperative in helping us find the book.

  1. pertaining to economic cooperation: a cooperative business.

  2. involving or denoting an educational program comprising both classroom study and on-the-job or technical training, especially in colleges and universities.

noun
  1. a jointly owned enterprise engaging in the production or distribution of goods or the supplying of services, operated by its members for their mutual benefit, typically organized by consumers or farmers.

  2. Also called co-op, cooperative apartment.

    • a building owned and managed by a corporation in which shares are sold, entitling the shareholders to occupy individual units in the building.

    • an apartment in such a building.: Compare condominium (defs. 1, 2).

Origin of cooperative

1
From the Late Latin word cooperātīvus, dating back to 1595–1605. See cooperate, -ive

Other words from cooperative

  • co·op·er·a·tive·ly, co-op·er·a·tive·ly [koh-op-er-uh-tiv-lee, -op-ruh-tiv-, -op-uh-rey-tiv-], /koʊˈɒp ər ə tɪv li, -ˈɒp rə tɪv-, -ˈɒp əˌreɪ tɪv-/, adverb
  • co·op·er·a·tive·ness, co-op·er·a·tive·ness, noun
  • un·co·op·er·a·tive, adjective
  • un·co·op·er·a·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·co·op·er·a·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cooperative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cooperative

cooperative

co-operative

/ (kəʊˈɒpərətɪv, -ˈɒprə-) /


adjective
  1. willing to cooperate; helpful

  2. acting in conjunction with others; cooperating

    • (of an enterprise, farm, etc) owned collectively and managed for joint economic benefit

    • (of an economy or economic activity) based on collective ownership and cooperative use of the means of production and distribution

noun
  1. a cooperative organization

  2. Also called: cooperative apartment US a block of flats belonging to a corporation in which shares are owned in proportion to the relative value of the flat occupied: Sometimes shortened to: coop Compare condominium (def. 3)

Derived forms of cooperative

  • cooperatively or co-operatively, adverb
  • cooperativeness or co-operativeness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012