collaboration

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-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.

---

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

---

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

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

See Examples For:

collaboration collaborations

If they choose collaboration, then they start evacuations, moving people as far as needed – including across international borders.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Deutsche Bank analysts say the companies’ collaboration is further proof that leading AI platforms are integrating with Shopify’s commerce infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

The library has permission to use Sanrio’s characters for one month for free and plans to restock the cards before the collaboration period ends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Scientists involved in the project said the international collaboration offered a rare opportunity to prevent the extinction of a unique plant lineage and preserve part of the natural heritage of the Juan Fernández archipelago.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Rather ironically, the last major duty of the Adams collaboration was to supervise the transition of the federal government to its permanent location on the Potomac.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

The move follows the coffee chain’s other recent collaborations with Hello Kitty, the clothing and accessories brand Roller Rabbit and the fashion brand Dandy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Known for its distinctive bottles and cans, the company built a large following through social media marketing and celebrity collaborations.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

The brand’s shoes for adults typically retail for between $140 and $280, with limited editions topping $300 and high-end collaborations reaching nearly $1,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Tigi Tigi” paved the way for further collaborations between Arab and Latin artists, including Gente de Zona and Mohammed Assaf in 2017’s “Baddek Enaya,” or Karol G and Lartiste’s 2019 track “Peligrosa.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

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