cooperative

Or co-op·er·a·tive

[koh-op-er-uh-tiv, -op-ruh-tiv, -op-uh-rey-tiv]

adjective

1. working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit.

2. demonstrating a willingness to cooperate.

   The librarian was cooperative in helping us find the book.

3. pertaining to economic cooperation.

   a cooperative business.

4. involving or denoting an educational program comprising both classroom study and on-the-job or technical training, especially in colleges and universities.

noun

1. a jointly owned enterprise engaging in the production or distribution of goods or the supplying of services, operated by its members for their mutual benefit, typically organized by consumers or farmers.

2. Also called co-op. Also called cooperative apartment. 

   1. a building owned and managed by a corporation in which shares are sold, entitling the shareholders to occupy individual units in the building.

   2. an apartment in such a building.

cooperative

/ kəʊˈɒpərətɪv, -ˈɒprə- /

adjective

1. willing to cooperate; helpful

2. acting in conjunction with others; cooperating

3. 1. (of an enterprise, farm, etc) owned collectively and managed for joint economic benefit

   2. (of an economy or economic activity) based on collective ownership and cooperative use of the means of production and distribution

noun

1. a cooperative organization

2. Sometimes shortened to: coop. Also called: cooperative apartment. a block of flats belonging to a corporation in which shares are owned in proportion to the relative value of the flat occupied Compare condominium

Other Word Forms

• cooperatively adverb
• co-operatively adverb
• cooperativeness noun
• co-operativeness noun
• uncooperative adjective
• uncooperatively adverb
• uncooperativeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cooperative¹

From the Late Latin word cooperātīvus, dating back to 1595–1605. See cooperate, -ive

Example Sentences

A possible reality check: this deliciously difficult cooperative board game—two players must work together to land airliners in increasingly complex scenarios.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The 87-foot diameter spherical screen wraps above, below and behind us, but an emphasis on couch seating invites a cooperative environment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

All three consultants were members of the Sacramento-based Collaborative, a cooperative of top Democratic political operatives.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

However, “when confronted with the information that it was improper payments,” Portanova said, she immediately stopped the payments, and “has been fully cooperative with the federal authorities at every stage of these proceedings.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Railway fans devastated by the scrapping of a much-heralded Berlin to Paris night train can breathe again after a Belgian-Dutch cooperative stepped in Wednesday to keep the service going.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• collegial 
• concerted 
• coordinated www.thesaurus.com
• harmonious 
• interdependent 
• reciprocal 
• symbiotic 
• united