collusion

American  

[kuh-loo-zhuhn] / kəˈlu ʒən /

noun

• collusions
  plural

1. a secret agreement, especially for fraudulent or treacherous purposes; conspiracy.

   Some of his employees were acting in collusion to rob him.

   Synonyms:

   complicity, connivance, intrigue

2. Law. a secret understanding between two or more persons to gain something illegally, to defraud someone's rights, or to appear as adversaries though in agreement.

   collusion of husband and wife to obtain a divorce.

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collusion British  

/ kəˈluːʒən /

noun

1. secret agreement for a fraudulent purpose; connivance; conspiracy

2. a secret agreement between opponents at law in order to obtain a judicial decision for some wrongful or improper purpose

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncollusion
  noun
• precollusion
  noun
• collusive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• collusions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of collusion

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (from Middle French ) from Latin collūsiōn- (stem of collūsiō ), equivalent to collūs(us) (past participle of collūdere to collude ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you are making secret agreements with someone, then you are in collusion with them. Every time gas prices jump, consumers suspect the gas station owners of collusion and price fixing. The noun collusion almost always implies that plans are being made because of some nefarious, most likely illegal, purpose. An art thief could be in collusion with a museum director to steal a famous painting from an art museum. Things get sticky when there is collusion between government and business, between union and management, or between your siblings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collusion collusions

Prosecutors said the detained person is "strongly suspected of having committed the offences, and that there is a risk of flight, destruction of evidence, and collusion with accomplices or witnesses".

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Yusuf has not publicly commented on the case against him, but the arrest has reignited speculation that collusion could be the reason behind rampant insecurity in the country.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

France has vowed to abandon the so‑called "Francafrique" strategy, under which Paris sought to keep francophone Africa under its thumb through political collusion, exclusive access for French businesses and oblique financial deals, including graft.

From Barron's ● May 10, 2026

Criminal antitrust cases are typically reserved for allegations of price fixing, market collusion or competitors rigging their bids to customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

The federation eliminated the Candidates tournament, an event that had multiple players competing against one another, which Fischer charged led to the opportunity for collusion among the Soviets.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

He and Esper seem to have boosted each other’s morale through daily pep talks and whatever collusions they could manage.

From Slate ● Aug. 9, 2022

Furthermore, since the computer can react much more quickly, even sudden collusions will mostly be avoided entirely.

From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2017

“I have had no contacts or collusions with the Russians,” he said.

From The Guardian ● May 19, 2017

Dr David Grimes, from Oxford University, devised an equation to express this, and then applied it to four famous collusions.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2016

"The fact is, my love, that these terrible collusions would never occur if the trains was only more punctilious!"

From Mr. Punch's Railway Book by Sir John Alexander Hammerton

Related Words

• complicity
• conspiracy
• deceit
• scam