cooperate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to work or act together or jointly for a common purpose or benefit.
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to work or act with another or other persons willingly and agreeably.
- Synonyms:
- participate, join, collaborate
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to practice economic cooperation.
verb
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to work or act together
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to be of assistance or be willing to assist
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economics (of firms, workers, consumers, etc) to engage in economic cooperation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cooperatesimple
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cooperatessimple
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have cooperatedperfect
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has cooperatedperfect
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am cooperatingprogressive
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are cooperatingprogressive
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is cooperatingprogressive
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have been cooperatingperfect progressive
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has been cooperatingperfect progressive
Past
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cooperatedsimple
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had cooperatedperfect
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was cooperatingprogressive
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were cooperatingprogressive
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had been cooperatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cooperate
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin cooperātus, past participle of cooperārī “to work with”; see co-, operate
Explanation
When you cooperate, you work together. You can cooperate with the police by telling them everything you know about your neighbor’s pet leopard, or your preschooler can cooperate with you by doing everything you tell him to do, now! The verb cooperate is originally from the combination of The Latin prefix co-, meaning “together,” and operari, meaning “to work.” The term “co-op” is a shortening of cooperative and is used when people work together (or cooperate) to run a preschool, health food store, or a residence. When you start or join a co-op, be prepared to cooperate with your partners, and remember: somebody has to clean the bathrooms.
Vocabulary lists containing cooperate
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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Divergent
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Chapter 28: The Cold War Era
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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.
See Examples For:
As with anyone who’s been manipulated by others, Yuru isn’t sure he wants to cooperate with anyone at the moment.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
“I am calling on Lineage, Altus, the property owner, and every involved party to cooperate immediately with the City, County, LAFD, Public Health, and regulatory agencies,” Jurado said in the statement to The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Previous studies have shown that bees can socially learn tool use, solve puzzle-like tasks, cooperate with one another, and adapt their behavior to changing situations.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
Glico said: "We will respond in good faith to the Fair Trade Commission's investigation and cooperate fully."
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
He dragged his leaden feet, begging them to cooperate, but the row of Barbies seemed to lengthen, stretch out for miles.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
Coinciding with the new Moon, dark skies will create ideal viewing conditions for the peak where the weather cooperates.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Whether either side cooperates remains to be seen.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Greenland is literally the polar opposite of Venezuela: a lightly populated, democratically governed territory of Denmark, itself a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally that cooperates closely with the U.S. on security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
In a written statement, a Grindr spokesperson said the company cooperates with law enforcement and encourages people to use its video calling feature to verify connections for safety before meeting in person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
“Stop making trouble, Nina. If Helvar cooperates, he and Muzzen will both have their freedom just as soon as the job is done.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Coupang denies the accusation, saying it had submitted everything that was requested and had fully cooperated with Comwel's investigation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In addition to speaking publicly about Jeremy's death, Webb has cooperated with the hospital where he was treated to help develop training on MMA.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Polymarket said it cooperated with the investigations into Spagnuolo and Van Dyke and hailed their arrests as vindication for its blockchain-based model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Monday's US settlement announcement said AEL had cooperated with OFAC's probe and agreed to additional nonmonetary remedial measures to strengthen compliance with US sanctions.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Eventually six of them, including Peralta, cooperated with the group.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
They have been documented engaging in "wave washing" -- cooperating to create choppy waters that knock seals off sheets of ice so they can be more easily captured and eaten.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
"And the cells aren't cooperating in a random way," adds Xue.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
In remarks to local media, the airline said: "At this time, the details are being gathered, and we are committed to cooperating with the relevant authorities."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
An Altus spokesperson said Friday that the company’s primary concern is the well-being of the community affected by the fire, and added that the company is cooperating with local officials as the investigation continues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
There wasn’t enough time between periods anyway, even when your locker was cooperating.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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.
