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
- co-operationist noun
- cooperationist noun
Etymology
Origin of cooperation
First recorded in 1620–30; from Middle French, from Late Latin cooperātiōn-, stem of cooperātiō; equivalent to cooperate + -ion
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.
Microsoft also said it would help train one million engineers and developers by 2030 in cooperation with Japanese companies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
In March 2025, Algonquin Power announced the extension of a cooperation agreement with the hedge fund along with the appointment of two new board directors including Gavin Molinelli, a senior partner at Starboard.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
“This underscores how conflicting geopolitical interests in one theater of conflict may undermine cooperation in another,” said Anne Frühauf, an analyst at consulting firm Teneo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Justiano said that cooperation went beyond information sharing.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Such cooperation was one of the important trademarks of Homo sapiens, and gave it a crucial edge over other human species.
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.
