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.  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 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

Detectives also interviewed the person who was reported to be hiking with Shields last, who they said was fully cooperative with their investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Sources said Perez has been "fully cooperative" with the CFTC.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

Money does not change hands among residents, not in its cooperative grocery store nor community canteen.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

In a review published in Animal Behaviour, an international team of researchers examined how animals use calls, body movements, visual displays, and other signals to coordinate cooperative relationships across species.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

Mostly these men were all so desperate or confused by the time I appeared, with my neutral Swiss-accented German and comfortingly official checklist, that they were often gratefully cooperative, if not wholly bewitched.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Even so, Saltiveri, who is president of the federation of farming cooperatives in Catalonia, and almost every other pork farmer in Spain, is feeling its impact.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

In some areas of the state, Base Power has partnered with rural electric cooperatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 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

Besides sourcing its beans from northern farmers and farming cooperatives, Bucher and his chocolate makers do the same for the ingredients blended into the bars.

From Salon ● Jun. 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