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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cooperation
Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Introductory
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Lyndon B. Johnson on "The Great Society" (1964)
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John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
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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:
He heard it several more times, leading him to believe the gangs had some form of high-level logistical cooperation.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Authorities label the video fake and deny any deal or cooperation with the cartels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The United States has agreements governing nuclear cooperation with more than 50 countries.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
As such, transatlantic counterterrorism cooperation could be in for turbulent times.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
It also gave her a chance to demonstrate her cooperation and loyalty, hoping to get the same in return.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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 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
Possible cooperations for Coast Guards on both sides were also discussed, he said.
From Reuters ● Aug. 27, 2021
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
New cooperations and friendships were formed, even between those people that were considered as past enemies.
From Scorched Earth by Petrovic, Walter D.
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.
