collaboration

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of working together or cooperating.

   Chat tools provide opportunity for real-time collaboration and dialogue.

2. a product resulting from working together or cooperating.

   This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.

Other Word Forms

• noncollaboration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of collaboration¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from French, from Late Latin collabōrāt ( us ) ( collaborate ) + French -ion -ion

Example Sentences

When people know success and status depends on collaboration, they stop hoarding resources and start sharing them.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They reached out to key players in the entertainment industry — including Walt Disney Co. — about potential areas for collaboration and trying to assuage concerns about its technology.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For Ogretmen, the novel findings highlight the power of teamwork, noting the collaboration across Hollings' research programs in cancer biology, immunology and prevention.

Read more on Science Daily

Other examples: Hampi Art Labs in Karnataka offers exhibitions and artist residencies; Art Mumbai fair's third edition in November expects 40,000 visitors; and Renault's planned Chennai design centre will merge technology with artistic collaboration.

Read more on BBC

The authors emphasize the need for expanded genomic surveillance, active community participation, and global collaboration to reduce the risk of future outbreaks.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• association 
• collusion 
• combination 
• concert 
• participation 
• partnership 
• teamwork 

When To Use

What does collaboration mean?

Collaboration is the act of working together, especially on a goal or shared project.It can also be used to refer to a product of collaboration, as in The new single is a  collaboration from the two pop stars. Collaboration is the noun form of the verb collaborate, meaning to work together.Collaboration 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 not just cooperation but sharing and developing of each other’s ideas.Such a joint effort can be described with the adjective collaborative. People who collaborate are called collaborators.Collaboration can also be used in a much more specific way referring to cooperation as a traitor with enemy forces in one’s own country. This is much less commonly used than its general sense.Example: This project would not have happened without close collaboration between all the departments.