cooperative

American  

[koh-op-er-uh-tiv, -op-ruh-tiv, -op-uh-rey-tiv] / koʊˈɒp ər ə tɪv, -ˈɒp rə tɪv, -ˈɒp əˌreɪ tɪv /

Or co-operative

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.

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noun

• cooperatives
  plural

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, 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 British  

/ 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

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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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cooperatives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cooperative

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

Explanation

As an adjective, cooperative describes working together agreeably for a common purpose or goal as in cooperative play or cooperative employee. As a noun, a cooperative is a jointly-owned business or enterprise where members pool their resources to purchase, do work, and/or distribute things. You might join a food cooperative, for example, which jointly purchases a farmer's labor and then every member gets a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables each week of the growing season. In this use, the word is often shortened to co-op. You might also join a housing cooperative where you own your apartment and you and the other owners jointly care for the upkeep of the building and grounds.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cooperative cooperatives

It’s in her interest to maintain a cooperative relationship with the U.S. on security.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

“Unfortunately, inflation hasn’t been cooperative when it comes to passive savers and their returns,” said Mary Grace Roske, head of communications at CD Valet, a website to shop for bank certificates of deposit.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

These are problems farmer Ashish Gupta confronts daily on his smallholding in India's Himachal Pradesh, which he farms as part of a cooperative.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Defector, a cooperative founded by former Deadspin staffers, bills itself as “the last good website,” and an appreciative community of subscribers seem to agree.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

He had been running a cooperative store in the Transkei which he was soon to give up to become an editor of the weekly New Age.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

"There are lots of cooperatives, it's worth asking your supplier if there is one in your region," Spray said.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

"Smallholders run up debts with cooperatives and sellers of crop protection products to try to improve production" and this worsens the cycle of poverty, he added.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

Denizens of Port William speak of belonging to a “membership,” evoking both the concept of unity described in St. Paul’s epistles and the agricultural cooperatives that were established in the area in the 1920s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

Businesses, nonprofits and small agricultural cooperatives can apply for an economic injury loan or a physical damage loan through SBA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025

“The peasant cooperatives, the land reform, the Taste Salt class, the ti kominote legliz—” People shouting now.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple

Related Words

• collegial
• concerted
• coordinated
• harmonious
• interdependent
• reciprocal
• symbiotic
• united