co-op

American

[koh-op, koh-op, koh-op] / ˈkoʊ ɒp, ˈkoʊ ɒp, koʊˈɒp /

noun

a cooperative store, dwelling, program, etc.

verb (used with object)

co-oped, co-opped, co-oping, co-opping

to place in a cooperative arrangement, especially to convert (an apartment or building) to a cooperative.

adjective

(of a game, especially a video game) cooperative, requiring players to work together to achieve a common objective: co-op multiplayer games.

co-op play modes;
co-op multiplayer games.

idioms

go co-op, to convert to a cooperative.

Our apartment building is going co-op.

Other Word Forms

co-oper noun

Etymology

Origin of co-op

First recorded in 1860–65; shortened form

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.

I earn $100,000 and I’m currently shouldering the mortgage, maintenance — specific to a co-op — and normal kid expenses.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

“Our whole system got at least an inch of ice,” said Keith Hayward, chief executive officer and general manager for the co-op.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Or made by the woman in your apartment building who has both a co-op volunteering shift and a single, long gray braid.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

His co-op, which imports coffee from more than a dozen countries, has already paid roughly $1.3m in tariffs since April.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025

There’s a little indie bookstore with tall, arched windows, a grocery co-op on the corner, and two guys walking down the sidewalk, holding hands.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023