collaborate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
-
to work with another or others on a joint project
-
to cooperate as a traitor, esp with an enemy occupying one's own country
Usage
What does collaborate mean? Collaborate means to work together, especially on a goal or shared project.Collaborate 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 more than just cooperation. When two or more people collaborate, they often share and develop each other’s ideas.The act of collaborating is called collaboration. Such a joint effort can be described with the adjective collaborative. People who collaborate are called collaborators.Collaborate can also be used in a much more specific way meaning to cooperate as a traitor with enemy forces in one’s own country. This is much less commonly used than its general sense.Example: The two musicians, who usually have very different styles, collaborated on the groundbreaking new album.
Other Word Forms
- collaborative adjective
- collaborator noun
Etymology
Origin of collaborate
First recorded in 1870–75; from Late Latin collabōrātus (past participle of collabōrāre), equivalent to col- col- 1 + labor “work” + -ātus -ate 1
Compare meaning
How does collaborate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Cambridgeshire district and city councils collaborated on the system which will identify those not claiming benefits they are entitled to and notify eligible families not receiving free school meals.
From BBC
In January, Microsoft announced a “community-first AI infrastructure” plan, which includes paying utility rates to cover its electricity costs and collaborating with utilities to add the capacity the company will need.
From MarketWatch
In January, Microsoft announced a “community-first AI infrastructure” plan, which includes paying utility rates to cover its electricity costs and collaborating with utilities to add the capacity the company will need.
From MarketWatch
People differ in talent, energy, access to audiences, resources and willingness to collaborate through political parties or other associations.
From MarketWatch
This is a new FDA office bringing together experts from across the agency to collaborate, much as the Oncology Center of Excellence does for cancer.
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.
