collaborate
kuh-LAB-uh-reyt
/kəˈlæb.ə.reɪt/
To work jointly on an activity or project, especially to produce or create something.
Collaborate implies an equal partnership of creative or intellectual minds working toward a shared goal. It is highly active and participatory.
The story behind the word. The word comes from the Latin 'collaborare', meaning 'to work together'. Historically, it carried a neutral or positive meaning of joint physical labor, but during World War II, it acquired a dark political meaning: cooperating traitorously with an enemy occupying force.
Word relationships
- cooperate: Cooperate can mean simply complying with requests or not causing trouble, while collaborate requires active, creative co-laboring.
- collude: Collude is a negative, deceitful form of collaboration, usually done in secret to cheat others.
- compete: To compete is to strive against others for a goal, rather than working with them.
- obstruct: To obstruct is to actively block or hinder someone else's work.
Commonly confused with
- corroborate: Corroborate means to confirm or give support to a statement or theory, while collaborate means to work together.
Word family
- collaboration (noun): The action of working with someone to produce something.
- collaborative (adjective): Produced by or involving two or more parties working together.
- collaborator (noun): A person who works jointly on an activity or project.
Collocations
- collaborate closely
- collaborate on a project
- collaborate with rivals
- decide to collaborate
Example sentences
- "Researchers from three different universities decided to collaborate on the groundbreaking study." An academic partnership.
- "Two writers collaborate on each book." A musical partnership.
Memory hook
Break it down into 'Co-Labor-Ate'. You and your coworkers 'labor' together, then go 'eat' together. Labor together to collaborate.
When not to use
Do not use collaborate when one person is simply following the orders of another; that is obedience or assistance, not collaboration.
Fun facts
- In France, the noun form 'collaborateur' still carries a heavy stigma from WWII, often implying someone who betrayed their country to the Nazi occupiers.
Explore more words
collaboration, colleague, interdependent, integrate, synthesize, Interact
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