collaborator
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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.
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. ); collaborate ( def. )
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.
“Simon is a collaborator in a process that’s entirely fluid.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Behind the camera, Jacobs’ friend and occasional creative collaborator, Sofia Coppola, asks whether they’re favoring a serious look, or something more eccentric — in line with Jacobs’ reputation.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
Scarcely believing the test results, Marsh told his friend and scientific collaborator Dr Lachie Scarsbrook, from the University of Oxford and LMU Munich, who takes up the story.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
The animated French early music specialist Emmanuelle Haïm, the orchestra’s artistic collaborator, isn’t letting Christmas get away this year.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
He’s a friend and collaborator of Dr. Gazzaley.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
![]()
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.