collaboration

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn] / kəˌlæb əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of working together or cooperating.

   Chat tools provide opportunity for real-time collaboration and dialogue.

2. a product resulting from working together or cooperating.

   This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.

---

collaboration British  

/ kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of working with another or others on a joint project

2. something created by working jointly with another or others

3. the act of cooperating as a traitor, esp with an enemy occupying one's own country

---

Usage

What does collaboration mean? Collaboration is the act of working together, especially on a goal or shared project. It can also be used to refer to a product of collaboration, as in The new single is a  collaboration from the two pop stars. Collaboration is the noun form of the verb collaborate, meaning to work together. Collaboration is often used in a positive context to refer to two or more parties successfully working together on professional or artistic projects. It often implies not just cooperation but sharing and developing of each other’s ideas. Such a joint effort can be described with the adjective collaborative. People who collaborate are called collaborators. Collaboration can also be used in a much more specific way referring to cooperation as a traitor with enemy forces in one’s own country. This is much less commonly used than its general sense. Example: This project would not have happened without close collaboration between all the departments. 

Other Word Forms

• collaborationist noun
• noncollaboration noun

Etymology

Origin of collaboration

First recorded in 1855–60; from French, from Late Latin collabōrāt ( us ) ( see collaborate) + French -ion -ion

Explanation

When you join a group of friends to build a huge sandcastle on the beach, your impressive structure is the result of collaboration, or working together toward a common goal. Working with another person — or a group of people — to make something together is collaboration. You can also describe the result of your work, like the elaborately decorated cake you made with your best friend, as a collaboration. During World War II, the word collaboration began being used to mean "working traitorously with an enemy," and became a very serious crime.

Example Sentences

The CIA’s new acquisition framework to turbocharge collaboration with the private sector may be legal with proper oversight.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

The next big test will be when Siri gets new smarts later this year, due in part to a collaboration with Google that Apple announced in January.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The raids came after a three-year investigation in collaboration with Police Scotland.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Efforts would include creating shared professional development opportunities, community events, coordination on curriculum, and collaboration on before- and after-school child care for TK and state preschool students, who may need full-day and year-round care.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

His features, which would later settle into pleasant collaboration, were growing at different rates, giving him a curious face that seemed designed by committee.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• association
• collusion
• combination
• concert
• participation
• partnership
• teamwork