cooperate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
cooperates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cooperated,
past participle, past
-
cooperating
present participle
-
to work or act together or jointly for a common purpose or benefit.
-
to work or act with another or other persons willingly and agreeably.
- Synonyms:
- participate, join, collaborate
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to practice economic cooperation.
verb
-
to work or act together
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to be of assistance or be willing to assist
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economics (of firms, workers, consumers, etc) to engage in economic cooperation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cooperatesimple
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cooperatessimple
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have cooperatedperfect
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has cooperatedperfect
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am cooperatingprogressive
-
are cooperatingprogressive
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is cooperatingprogressive
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have been cooperatingperfect progressive
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has been cooperatingperfect progressive
Past
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cooperatedsimple
-
had cooperatedperfect
-
was cooperatingprogressive
-
were cooperatingprogressive
-
had been cooperatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cooperate
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin cooperātus, past participle of cooperārī “to work with”; see co-, operate
Explanation
When you cooperate, you work together. You can cooperate with the police by telling them everything you know about your neighbor’s pet leopard, or your preschooler can cooperate with you by doing everything you tell him to do, now! The verb cooperate is originally from the combination of The Latin prefix co-, meaning “together,” and operari, meaning “to work.” The term “co-op” is a shortening of cooperative and is used when people work together (or cooperate) to run a preschool, health food store, or a residence. When you start or join a co-op, be prepared to cooperate with your partners, and remember: somebody has to clean the bathrooms.
Vocabulary lists containing cooperate
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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Divergent
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Chapter 28: The Cold War Era
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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.
See Examples For:
How the Salvadoran troops will cooperate with myriad forces already in Haiti also remain to be seen.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The military aid package to the BIR, officials said, served the dual purpose of adding a new incentive for Cameroon to cooperate on accepting U.S. deportees while also supporting U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the region.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
In 1864, with the nation at war, Lincoln held an election he expected to lose and privately pledged to cooperate with his successor.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, in a statement Tuesday, wrote that ICE and CoreCivic must quickly reach the person’s family, cooperate with a thorough investigation and share what they find with the public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The best outcome for the women as a pair is for them to cooperate with each other.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Angelenos are exactly where they need to be to see Thursday’s partial “blood moon” lunar eclipse — provided the weather cooperates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
When the weather cooperates, take to the sea by paddleboard or kayak, easy to rent from Sea Nantucket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
His business also cooperates with the National Emergency Supply Organisation.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Whether either side cooperates remains to be seen.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
I put on a dress too, run a comb through my hair until it cooperates.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
By contrast, former Prime Minister Golda Meir cooperated with the inquiry convened after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Xu had acknowledged using AI, but said he believed he had acted within the rules, and had cooperated with Nikon's investigation.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
After Kao’s arrest, he added, the company fully cooperated with law enforcement.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The Clippers said in a statement they cooperated fully with the investigation and will fight “to demonstrate our innocence.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The doctor showed much doubt and perhaps regret that he had ever cooperated with me in this transformation.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
Wizz Air added that it was "cooperating fully with the authorities", and that the safety of passengers and crew "remains our highest priority".
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
In one 2023 message exchange quoted by federal authorities, Nathan Young was allegedly asked by an unnamed cooperating witness how to bill the insurer for someone in their program who was clean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
“There’s a lot to be gained from cooperating on developing superintelligence software,” Musk said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Six Flags, in a statement, said it is cooperating fully with the local investigation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
There wasn’t enough time between periods anyway, even when your locker was cooperating.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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