cooperation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.
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more or less active assistance from a person, organization, etc..
We sought the cooperation of various civic leaders.
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willingness to cooperate.
to indicate cooperation.
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Economics. the combination of persons for purposes of production, purchase, or distribution for their joint benefit.
producers' cooperation; consumers' cooperation.
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Sociology. activity shared for mutual benefit.
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Ecology. mutually beneficial interaction among organisms living in a limited area.
noun
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joint operation or action
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assistance or willingness to assist
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economics the combination of consumers, workers, farmers, etc, in activities usually embracing production, distribution, or trade
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ecology beneficial but inessential interaction between two species in a community
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cooperation
Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Introductory
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Lyndon B. Johnson on "The Great Society" (1964)
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John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
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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.
Dr. Clarke said the findings highlight a level of planning and cooperation that may have been greater than previously recognized.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
The heads of the Pakistani and Lebanese armed forces agreed to boost cooperation on Tuesday as they met in Pakistan with peace talks over the Middle East war dragging on.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
The French and German defence ministries are set to draw up a plan for defence cooperation "focused on a few realistic and relevant projects" at a forthcoming meeting, the official added.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
The tensions between the U.S. and Israel are becoming a defining characteristic of the current phase of the war, much as unprecedented close cooperation between the two allies marked its beginning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Since large-scale human cooperation is based on myths, the way people cooperate can be altered by changing the myths—by telling different stories.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
