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.

See Examples For:

co-op co-oping

Lenders and co-op boards want to see that a buyer has a solid financial foundation, and some won’t consider all the money if they believe it is a loan.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

It will also be useful if he is buying in a co-op whose board has the final say on whether he’s admitted.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

The Park Avenue co-op, which first listed for $45 million in 2019, sold for $21.25 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Members of the co-op mainly bought mountaineering equipment imported from Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

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

We worry that a return to six-man football might lead to a breakup of some schools already co-oping and on the road to consolidation.

From Washington Times ● May 25, 2018

Prominent communitarian Amitai Etzioni, in highlighting the shortcomings of most institutionalized child care, has duly stressed the virtues of parents' "co-oping," working part time at day-care centers.

From Time Magazine Archive

For years, stores have used less obtrusive forms of co-advertising, called co-oping, in their catalogs to offset the rising costs of postage and printing.

From Time Magazine Archive

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