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.
“Boy, don’t you know you gotta be 16-years-old to operate a motor vehicle in the Commonwealth of Kentucky?” he asked.
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2026
The next phase of the research will investigate building the device from other materials, including graphene, which could allow it to operate at even higher speeds.
From Science Daily • Jul. 2, 2026
Fridges are typically designed to operate in air temperatures up to about 32C.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
Keep in mind that bank ATMs and banking apps will continue to operate as normal for you to withdraw, deposit or transfer money.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
These were things that the doctors had to operate on him so that he could do them.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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.
