cooperation

American  

[koh-op-uh-ray-shuhn] / koʊˌɒp əˈreɪ ʃən /

Or co-operation

noun

• cooperations
  plural

1. 

   an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.

2. more or less active assistance from a person, organization, etc..

   We sought the cooperation of various civic leaders.

3. willingness to cooperate.

   to indicate cooperation.

4. Economics. the combination of persons for purposes of production, purchase, or distribution for their joint benefit.

   producers' cooperation; consumers' cooperation.

5. Sociology. activity shared for mutual benefit.

6. Ecology. mutually beneficial interaction among organisms living in a limited area.

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cooperation British  

/ kəʊˌɒpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. joint operation or action

2. assistance or willingness to assist

3. economics the combination of consumers, workers, farmers, etc, in activities usually embracing production, distribution, or trade

4. ecology beneficial but inessential interaction between two species in a community

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• co-operationist
  noun
• cooperationist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cooperations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cooperation

First recorded in 1620–30; from Middle French, from Late Latin cooperātiōn-, stem of cooperātiō; equivalent to cooperate + -ion

Explanation

Working together is cooperation. Thanks to the cooperation of the parents, teachers, and students, the end of year school dance rocked the house without rocking the boat. If you break apart cooperation you see co which means together and operation which is a project or job. When you practice cooperation you are working together on a job or project. Cooperation can sometimes be hard to come by, which is why when someone does a lot of it, it's nice to say thank you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cooperation cooperations

There have even been reports of possible cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Israel against the Houthis, a notable development — if true — for two countries with no formal diplomatic relations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Countries are also seeking cooperation with Washington to lower tariffs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

"This extraordinary genomic resource, the culmination of years of international cooperation of Bat1K, is finally allowing us to understand how their remarkable biology evolved."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to strengthen cooperation in the currency market, saying that “reconfirming this stance at this time holds great significance.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The movement of the stars across the night, the cooperation of humors in the blood.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

The front-of-house’s seamless teamwork comprised myriad tiny cooperations that patrons don’t, and shouldn’t, notice.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2023

When complete and signed, the agreement "will be the foundational framework around which our two nations will enhance security cooperations and further strengthen our bilateral relationship," the state department said.

From Reuters ● Feb. 11, 2023

“The group has many cooperations across the world with many companies,” said Ioannis Arapoglou, the Copelouzos Group’s general manager.

From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2022

The book mentions many previously disclosed covert and clandestine cooperations between the CIA and Chinese intelligence, along with many surprising new details.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 22, 2015

New cooperations and friendships were formed, even between those people that were considered as past enemies.

From Scorched Earth by Walter D. Petrovic

Related Words

• aid
• assistance
• collaboration
• participation
• partnership
• service
• unity