collaboration

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn] / kəˌlæb əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

• collaborations
  plural

1. the act or process of working together or cooperating.

   Chat tools provide opportunity for real-time collaboration and dialogue.

2. a product resulting from working together or cooperating.

   This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.

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collaboration British  

/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of working with another or others on a joint project

2. something created by working jointly with another or others

3. the act of cooperating as a traitor, esp with an enemy occupying one's own country

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Usage

What does collaboration mean? Collaboration is the act of working together, especially on a goal or shared project. It can also be used to refer to a product of collaboration, as in The new single is a  collaboration from the two pop stars. Collaboration is the noun form of the verb collaborate, meaning to work together. Collaboration is often used in a positive context to refer to two or more parties successfully working together on professional or artistic projects. It often implies not just cooperation but sharing and developing of each other’s ideas. Such a joint effort can be described with the adjective collaborative. People who collaborate are called collaborators. Collaboration can also be used in a much more specific way referring to cooperation as a traitor with enemy forces in one’s own country. This is much less commonly used than its general sense. Example: This project would not have happened without close collaboration between all the departments. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• collaborationist
  noun
• noncollaboration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• collaborations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of collaboration

First recorded in 1855–60; from French, from Late Latin collabōrāt ( us ) ( see collaborate) + French -ion -ion

Explanation

When you join a group of friends to build a huge sandcastle on the beach, your impressive structure is the result of collaboration, or working together toward a common goal. Working with another person — or a group of people — to make something together is collaboration. You can also describe the result of your work, like the elaborately decorated cake you made with your best friend, as a collaboration. During World War II, the word collaboration began being used to mean "working traitorously with an enemy," and became a very serious crime.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collaboration collaborations

The transaction includes a "collaboration and technology-sharing agreement" that retains Boeing's access to Wisk technology for current and next-generation commercial and defense aircraft, the press release said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

But he pointed to other issues; a collaboration involving the “Minions & Monsters” film didn’t drive traffic the way management thought it would, and neither did new chicken sandwiches.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

His collaboration with another pop star Pink titled Feel Good Time brought more success, reaching number three in the UK.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

I asked Lukas Crepaz, who directs the Salzburg Festival’s administrative and business operations, whether it would be possible and whether there still is time for the Salzburg and L.A. to collaboration on an opera production.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

We should credit it for what it is: for sheer size and perfection of function, it is far and away the grandest product of collaboration in all of nature.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

In addition to re-evaluating its creative and media strategies, Wright said Wendy’s aims to pull out of a cycle of promotions and collaborations to get back to a more long-term approach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Lee has a trove of nuggets about the collaborations that shaped “Beef.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

In a separate scam, some artists have uploaded songs that falsely claim to be collaborations with higher-profile musicians.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

There will also be a focus on collaborations with social media creators.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Gardens are fashioned for many purposes with many different tools, but all are collaborations with natural forces.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• association
• collusion
• combination
• concert
• participation
• partnership
• teamwork