cooperate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
cooperates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cooperated,
past participle, past
-
cooperating
present participle
-
to work or act together or jointly for a common purpose or benefit.
-
to work or act with another or other persons willingly and agreeably.
- Synonyms:
- participate, join, collaborate
-
to practice economic cooperation.
verb
-
to work or act together
-
to be of assistance or be willing to assist
-
economics (of firms, workers, consumers, etc) to engage in economic cooperation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cooperatesimple
-
cooperatessimple
-
have cooperatedperfect
-
has cooperatedperfect
-
am cooperatingprogressive
-
are cooperatingprogressive
-
is cooperatingprogressive
-
have been cooperatingperfect progressive
-
has been cooperatingperfect progressive
Past
-
cooperatedsimple
-
had cooperatedperfect
-
was cooperatingprogressive
-
were cooperatingprogressive
-
had been cooperatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cooperate
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin cooperātus, past participle of cooperārī “to work with”; see co-, operate
Explanation
When you cooperate, you work together. You can cooperate with the police by telling them everything you know about your neighbor’s pet leopard, or your preschooler can cooperate with you by doing everything you tell him to do, now! The verb cooperate is originally from the combination of The Latin prefix co-, meaning “together,” and operari, meaning “to work.” The term “co-op” is a shortening of cooperative and is used when people work together (or cooperate) to run a preschool, health food store, or a residence. When you start or join a co-op, be prepared to cooperate with your partners, and remember: somebody has to clean the bathrooms.
Vocabulary lists containing cooperate
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Divergent
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chapter 28: The Cold War Era
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We swiftly investigated and shut down the private, invite-only server involved shortly after its creation and continue to cooperate with law enforcement in its investigation."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
"With dogs, the story is totally different. They followed a very different evolutionary path, yet through domestication, they developed the social abilities needed to understand and cooperate with us."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Syria has expressed a willingness to cooperate with Moscow, and President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been received by Putin in Moscow twice since taking over.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Chinese law requires its companies and citizens to “support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
"It would be best to cooperate, Mr. Amber. For Crow's sake."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
When the weather cooperates, take to the sea by paddleboard or kayak, easy to rent from Sea Nantucket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Super Micro Computer has faced past controversies, including a 2018 delisting, and states it cooperates with investigations.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
In a written statement, a Grindr spokesperson said the company cooperates with law enforcement and encourages people to use its video calling feature to verify connections for safety before meeting in person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
The Ministry of Defence told the BBC that "while paternity claims against UK Service Personnel are a private life issue, the government cooperates with local child support authorities where there are claims relating to paternity".
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
“Stop making trouble, Nina. If Helvar cooperates, he and Muzzen will both have their freedom just as soon as the job is done.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
For instance, Rodriguez has actively cooperated with Washington to open up Venezuela's oil, electricity and mining sectors to private and foreign capital.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Instead, the residents of Mohenjo-daro may have cooperated to give households broad access to the resources needed for a comfortable standard of living.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
The driver of the sedan remained at the scene of the crash and cooperated with authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Coupang denies the accusation, saying it had submitted everything that was requested and had fully cooperated with Comwel's investigation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Harvard professors cooperated with all the mediums’ requests, but carefully observed their actions at every moment and studied the room before and after the sessions.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Outside, there was more enthusiasm for cooperating with the new German elite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
He said he had no regrets about cooperating with the authorities in the past.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It said that Minnesota investigators had “no ongoing concerns with Chipotle,” and that the company was cooperating with health authorities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
In the filing, Shein said it is cooperating with the FTC’s investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The suffragists didn’t want to appear to be cooperating with Wilson.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
