collusion
Americannoun
-
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
-
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.
noun
-
secret agreement for a fraudulent purpose; connivance; conspiracy
-
a secret agreement between opponents at law in order to obtain a judicial decision for some wrongful or improper purpose
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing collusion
The Pearl
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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This Week in Words: October 28 - November 3, 2017
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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.
Representative Val Demings last week introduced the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2022, which calls for a new federal investigation into those who support Haitian gangs.
From Reuters • Oct. 10, 2022
Collusion Illusion won the Grade II Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds by 1¼ lengths for the six-furlong race.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2019
Collusion between politicians and criminal organizations in Mexico is not new.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2018
Collusion and double dealing is in this groups DNA.
From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2017
In a report titled “Mimetic Collusion in Chromatophores” he found another photo of her.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
