collaborator
Americannoun
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a person who works or cooperates with another on something; a coauthor, coproducer, etc..
She is currently at work on a new recording project with longtime collaborator Greg Timson.
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a person who cooperates with an enemy nation or force, especially with an enemy occupying one’s country.
Her book gives a detailed account of postwar Poland’s legal retribution against its Nazi collaborators.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of collaborator
First recorded in 1800–10; from French collaborateur, equivalent to Late Latin collabōrāt(us) (past participle of collabōrāre ) + -or 2 ( def. ); see collaborate ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing collaborator
"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 6
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Unit 5, Small-Group Learning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I liked it, it was something new,” said Luis R. Conriquez, who called up the new singer to be a collaborator.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
Looking ahead, Lightbody said singer-songwriter Raye would be his ideal future collaborator.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
The name is a nod to the best friend and literary collaborator of Cicero, the Roman statesman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
He directed 236 episodes and also co-created "Cheers" with longtime collaborator James Brooks, as well as its spin-off "Frasier."
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Abernathy was Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest collaborator and had inherited the mantle of his Poor People’s Campaign, the second phase of the civil rights movement.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.