collaborate
kuh-LAB-uh-reyt
/kəˈlæbəɹeɪt/
To work jointly on an activity or project, especially to produce or create something.
Implies equal partnership and co-creation, rather than one person simply helping another or following orders.
The story behind the word. First appearing in English in the 19th century, collaborate was borrowed directly from the Latin 'collaborare'. It literally means 'to labor together'. During World War II, the word gained a darker, political meaning referring to those who cooperated with enemy occupying forces, but its primary professional meaning remains highly positive.
Word relationships
- cooperate: Cooperate can mean simply complying with someone else's requests, whereas collaborate always involves active, shared creation.
- conspire: Conspire has a negative, secretive, or illegal connotation, while collaborate is neutral or positive.
- compete: Compete involves working against others to achieve a singular victory, rather than working with them.
Commonly confused with
- corroborate: Corroborate means to confirm or give support to a statement or theory, whereas collaborate means to work together.
Word family
- collaboration (noun): The action of working with someone to produce or create something.
- collaborative (adjective): Produced or conducted by two or more parties working together.
Collocations
- collaborate closely
- collaborate on a project
- collaborate with rivals
Example sentences
- "Researchers from three different universities decided to collaborate on the groundbreaking cancer study." Scientific research
- "It is a fact that Wordsworth and Coleridge did collaborate in the planning of these poems." Literary history
Memory hook
Think of 'co-' (together) + 'labor' (hard work). When you collaborate, you share the labor with others. Labor together to make something great.
When not to use
Do not use when one person is merely doing a favor for another or performing a simple, independent task.
Fun facts
- The word 'collaborator' still carries a dual meaning: it can be a helpful teammate or a traitor who aids an occupying enemy.
Related words
Explore more words
collaboration, colleague, interdependent, integrate, synthesize, Interact
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