collaborate

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-reyt] / kəˈlæb əˌreɪt /

verb (used without object)

collaborates, present (3rd person singular) collaborated, past participle, past collaborating present participle

1. to work, one with another; cooperate, as on a literary work.

   They collaborated on a novel.

2. to cooperate with an enemy nation, especially with an enemy occupying one's country.

   He collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

   Synonyms:

   abet, assist, join, collude

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collaborate British  

/ kəˈlæbəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to work with another or others on a joint project

2. to cooperate as a traitor, esp with an enemy occupying one's own country

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Usage

What does collaborate mean? Collaborate means to work together, especially on a goal or shared project. Collaborate 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 more than just cooperation. When two or more people collaborate, they often share and develop each other’s ideas. The act of collaborating is called collaboration. Such a joint effort can be described with the adjective collaborative. People who collaborate are called collaborators. Collaborate can also be used in a much more specific way meaning to cooperate as a traitor with enemy forces in one’s own country. This is much less commonly used than its general sense. Example: The two musicians, who usually have very different styles, collaborated on the groundbreaking new album.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• collaborator
  noun
• collaborative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• collaborating
  present
• collaborated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• collaborate
  simple
• collaborates
  simple
• have collaborated
  perfect
• has collaborated
  perfect
• am collaborating
  progressive
• are collaborating
  progressive
• is collaborating
  progressive
• have been collaborating
  perfect progressive
• has been collaborating
  perfect progressive

Past

• collaborated
  simple
• had collaborated
  perfect
• was collaborating
  progressive
• were collaborating
  progressive
• had been collaborating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will collaborate
  simple
• will have collaborated
  perfect
• will be collaborating
  progressive
• will have been collaborating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of collaborate

First recorded in 1870–75; from Late Latin collabōrātus (past participle of collabōrāre), equivalent to col- col- ¹ + labor “work” + -ātus -ate ¹

Compare meaning

How does collaborate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• corroborate vs. collaborate

Explanation

When you work together on shared goal, you collaborate. If you don't just split a project up evenly but work together on creating solutions, you collaborate. Inside the word you see co-labor, or "working together." Cooperation is simply splitting up the work and getting it done. Collaboration is when you brainstorm, create, and share possible solutions. During World War II, however, Nazi collaborators were sharing ideas with the wrong side. In today's pop music scene, collaboration means featuring a guest star on a record, and it's often a surefire way to boost sales.

Example Sentences

Think of it as a creamy dressing that wants to collaborate.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2026

Nokia’s efforts got a major boost when chip maker Nvidia bought a 2.9% stake in the company for $1 billion in October, as part of an agreement for the two to collaborate on their products.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

Since commissions also typically contain only a certain number of members from any one political party, the two parties would often collaborate to confirm nominees from each.

From Slate • Jul. 6, 2026

"A strong European defence ecosystem depends on independent companies that compete, innovate and collaborate where it makes sense," it said.

From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026

We should meet the people on their own terms, even if that meant appearing to collaborate.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• collude
• conspire
• cooperate
• hook up
• participate