collaboration

American  

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

noun

• collaborations
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• collaborationist
  noun
• noncollaboration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• collaborations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of collaboration

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

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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

See Examples For:

collaboration collaborations

Developed by California-based Wave Neuroscience in collaboration with researchers at the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology, the technology uses brain activity measurements to guide targeted magnetic stimulation.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Crediting the work he produced in his bands, they said "his imagination shaped the sound of Irish music" and his career was described as being built on "creativity, friendship and collaboration."

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities say they have opened thousands of investigations into collaboration with the enemy, and frequently arrest individuals accused of working for Moscow.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

He pointed to bipartisan collaboration as key to the passage of AB 32, and Schwarzenegger recalled environmentalists and business leaders celebrating together after the bill passed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

American universities, already beginning to enjoy the fruits of collaboration with big business, duly put this relationship to work.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Three collaborations with other Stanford research groups are already underway or in development, demonstrating the range of questions the technology could help investigate.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

The upcoming sixth installment in Sarah J. Maas’s romantasy series “A Court of Thorns and Roses” is drawing collaborations with brands including Target, Fine’ry, Knix and Loungefly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

"However, this may not be obvious through our existing systems and so researchers are also advised to undertake appropriate due diligence to identify the ultimate source of funding for collaborations with Chinese institutions."

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

In fact, Bob had more Barbie collaborations than any other designer — more than 60, including both production and one-of-a-kind dolls for charity auctions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Gardens are fashioned for many purposes with many different tools, but all are collaborations with natural forces.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Related Words

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

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