collaboration

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn] / kəˌlæb əˈreɪ ʃən /

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.

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collaboration British  

/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of working with another or others on a joint project

2. something created by working jointly with another or others

3. the act of cooperating as a traitor, esp with an enemy occupying one's own country

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Usage

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. 

Other Word Forms

• collaborationist
  noun
• noncollaboration
  noun

Etymology

Origin of collaboration

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

Explanation

When you join a group of friends to build a huge sandcastle on the beach, your impressive structure is the result of collaboration, or working together toward a common goal. Working with another person — or a group of people — to make something together is collaboration. You can also describe the result of your work, like the elaborately decorated cake you made with your best friend, as a collaboration. During World War II, the word collaboration began being used to mean "working traitorously with an enemy," and became a very serious crime.

Example Sentences

“We’re building a movement for real change: more affordable housing, safer and cleaner neighborhoods, better schools and childcare, and a culture of collaboration that turns ideas into solutions,” the website says.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Currie also emphasized the importance of collaboration between scientists working on very different animals and biological systems.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2026

He and other vendors said that although competition for business remains, the current mood is driving innovation and collaboration in new ways.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Evercore ISI analysts on Thursday noted an uptick in headlines and social media posts related to a Moderna collaboration on the virus with Korea University that began in 2023.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

So a collaboration was formed between the Iowa Geological Survey and the U.S.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

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