collaborate

[kuh-lab-uh-reyt]

verb (used without object)

collaborated, collaborating 

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• collaborator noun
• collaborative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of collaborate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of collaborate¹

C19: from Late Latin collabōrāre, from Latin com- together + labōrāre to work

Example Sentences

The agreement included an initiative for countries to collaborate on a voluntary basis to reduce carbon emissions and strive to limit global warming to 1.5C relative to pre-industrial levels.

Read more on Barron's

He collaborated with Dunnes Stores and was the closing designer for the inaugural Ireland Fashion Week in October this year.

Read more on BBC

To determine the body size of this early modern shark mega-predator, a team of researchers from multiple fields collaborated on a detailed analysis.

Read more on Science Daily

Its vision is deeply indebted to collaborating organizer and former powerhouse downtown dealer Mary Boone, and as such offers a specific, which is to say necessarily limited, outlook on the arts scene.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“This employee collaborated with someone else to bring my restaurant down,” the business owner responded on the restaurant’s Yelp page, which otherwise had mostly 5-star reviews.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• collude 
• conspire 
• cooperate 
• hook up 
• participate 

When To Use

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.