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collusion

kuh-LOO-zhuhn /kəˈluː.ʒən/

nounC2GREGMATUPSC

legalpoliticalprofessional

Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.

Collusion is the dark twin of cooperation. It is always secret, always deceptive, and usually illegal, aimed at gaining an unfair advantage over others.

The story behind the word. From Latin 'collusio', from the verb 'colludere', meaning 'to play together'. It combines 'com-' (together) and 'ludere' (to play), but over time, this 'playing together' took on a sinister meaning of secretly plotting to cheat others.

Word relationships

conspiracy: Conspiracy is a broad legal term for planning a crime together, while collusion specifically emphasizes deceptive cooperation, often in business or politics.
complicity: Complicity is being involved in a wrongdoing, while collusion is the active, cooperative planning of that wrongdoing.

fair play: Fair play is open, honest competition following established rules.
transparency: Transparency is operating in an open, visible way without secrets.

Commonly confused with

collision: A collision is a physical crash, while collusion is a secret, deceptive agreement.

Word family

collude (verb): Conspire together for illegal or underhanded purposes.
collusive (adjective): Acting in secret to achieve a fraudulent or deceitful purpose.

Collocations

accused of collusion
prove collusion
secret collusion
collusion between

Idioms & expressions

in collusion with

Example sentences

"The two oil companies were accused of collusion to artificially inflate fuel prices." Corporate price-fixing.
"The investigation revealed collusion between the corrupt politicians and the wealthy developers." A political scandal.

Memory hook

Think of 'illusion'. When bad actors work in 'collusion', they create a false 'illusion' of fair play while secretly rigging the game. Secret play, dirty game.

When not to use

Never use collusion to describe open, honest, or positive teamwork. It is strictly a negative term.

Fun facts

In economics, collusion is highly illegal because it destroys free-market competition, forcing consumers to pay artificially high prices.