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:
Omani officials have proposed establishing a regional consortium that would oversee maritime security, search-and-rescue operations and other cooperation, said officials familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Authorities label the video fake and deny any deal or cooperation with the cartels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
As such, transatlantic counterterrorism cooperation could be in for turbulent times.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Two agreements -- one on "peaceful nuclear cooperation" and another on "bilateral safeguards" -- were signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the US Energy Department said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“I’m not trying to blame you, Gilly. It’s just that I need, we all need, your cooperation if any kind of arrangement is to work out.”
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
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 European Space Agency is currently only capable of carrying out manned European missions in space through international cooperations.
From Reuters ● May 24, 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
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
Closer interagency cooperations and coordination between military and law enforcement activities and capabilities must be established.
From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by Wade, James P.
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.
