cooperation

American  

[koh-op-uh-rey-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

Deepening defense cooperation with Egypt, a major importer of weapons from the U.S. and Europe, also helps advance China’s military goals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

China is "clearly seeking Egypt's cooperation in managing and shaping regional affairs", said Liu Jia, a research fellow at the Singapore-based Middle East Institute.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

From the beginning, police said they struggled to get leads and cooperation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Yet current U.S. policy makes such cooperation difficult, in large part because of the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 and the regulatory structure built around the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Just as well, as the campaign to bring me up to domestic scratch was, without my knowledge or cooperation, ginning up in earnest.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

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

The European Space Agency is currently only capable of carrying out manned European missions in space through international cooperations.

From Reuters ● May 24, 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

In this way all the cooperations which the carriers of hereditary characters are capable of in a species are produced; this must give it an appreciable advantage in the struggle for life.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

Related Words

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