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

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

collaborate collaborates collaborated collaborating

Of great importance is how C-suite executives collaborate among each other and with the board of directors to oversee cybersecurity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Zuckerberg outlined policy recommendations for the federal government to collaborate with AI companies for safety-testing of their models.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

During the pandemic, he would go on to collaborate with Cora on a short film called The Singer.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The California air taxi startup Archer Aviation is set to acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero in an agreement that would allow the companies to collaborate and share technology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

“What better way to compete than within the same tent? And you cannot rightfully call it a collaboration. How can I collaborate with someone whose identity I don’t even know?”

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

It collaborates with landowners to protect and improve habitats.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

Project Glasswing collaborates with cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks to adapt Mythos for defense.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

It is also a founding member of the VPN Trust Initiative and collaborates with cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt to refine breach response protocols and educate users on data safety.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026

He works on a variety of topics and often collaborates with other reporters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

He collaborates with it, urging it to battle like a war-horse.

From Plays, Acting and Music A Book Of Theory by Arthur Symons

The Oscar-winning actor reflects on a lifetime of work with the filmmaker, with whom she collaborated on ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Wild at Heart’ and ‘Inland Empire.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Young, who collaborated with Nike and English footballer Ella Toone on a nail project, thinks we're "in a time where we're bridging the gap between sports and fashion".

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Sam Lansky, who worked with Britney Spears on The Woman in Me, collaborated with Griffin on the book.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Sipe of the University of Toronto, who collaborated with the researchers on an earlier project, had predicted that such an "electron lighthouse" could be created.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Rudi Wobbe collaborated with Jerry Borrowman on a book about his experiences, called Before the Blood Tribunal.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Hand now runs a workshop housing more than 20 pieces of rescued equipment, running DIY classes, commercial commissions and collaborating with local artists.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Russian and North Korean cyber operatives are already collaborating on malware, cybersecurity experts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

“Suicide in the autism population is a serious concern, but we know so little,” said Dr. Paul Lipkin, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore who is collaborating on the project.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

After reviewing more than 20 years of stranding records and preserved tissue samples, researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and collaborating institutions identified three Helicobacter genotypes that had never been documented before.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

Years after Carrel died awaiting trial for collaborating with the Nazis, scientist Leonard Hayflick grew suspicious of the chicken heart.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• collude
• conspire
• cooperate
• hook up
• participate