Standard Lemma guide

collaborate

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəˈlæb.ə.ɹeɪt/
  • /kəˈlæb.ɹeɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 L AE1 B ER0 EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To work together with others to achieve a common goal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Let's collaborate on this project, and get it finished faster.
  • Wikipedia is a website where anyone can collaborate.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To voluntarily cooperate treasonably, as with an enemy occupation force in one's country.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • If you collaborate with the occupying forces, you will be shot.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

work together on a common enterprise of project

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The soprano and the pianist did not get together very well
  • We joined forces with another research group

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: join forces, cooperate, get together

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: work

Narrower terms: collaborate, play along, go along

4

verb

Meaning 4

cooperate as a traitor

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he collaborated with the Nazis when they occupied Paris

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: collaborate, join forces, cooperate, get together

History

Etymology

Back-formation from collaborator, from French collaborateur, or else modeled on French collaborer or directly from Late Latin collabōrātus, past participle of collabōrāre. Displaced native Old English efnwyrċan.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَعَاوَنَ (taʕāwana) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Azerbaijani: ənşişmək — to work together on a piece of work
  • Azerbaijani: əməkdaşlıq etmək — to work together on a piece of work
  • Bulgarian: сътруднича (sǎtrudniča) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Catalan: col·laborar — to work together on a piece of work
  • Chinese Mandarin: 合作 (hézuò) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Chinese Mandarin: 協作 /协作 (xiézuò) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Chinese Mandarin: 配合 (pèihé) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Czech: spolupracovat — to work together on a piece of work
  • Danish: samarbejde — to work together on a piece of work
  • Dutch: samenwerken — to work together on a piece of work
  • Esperanto: kunlabori — to work together on a piece of work
  • Esperanto: kunagi — to work together on a piece of work
  • Estonian: koostööd tegema — to work together on a piece of work
  • Faroese: at samstarva — to work together on a piece of work
  • Finnish: tehdä yhteistyötä — to work together on a piece of work
  • French: collaborer — to work together on a piece of work
  • German: zusammenarbeiten — to work together on a piece of work
  • Greek: συνεργάζομαι (synergázomai) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Hebrew: שיתף פעולה (shitéf p'ula) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Hungarian: együttműködik — to work together on a piece of work
  • Hungarian: közösen/együtt dolgozik — to work together on a piece of work
  • Icelandic: vinna saman — to work together on a piece of work
  • Ido: kunlaborar — to work together on a piece of work
  • Indonesian: kerjasama — to work together on a piece of work
  • Indonesian: berkolaborasi — to work together on a piece of work
  • Italian: collaborare — to work together on a piece of work
  • Japanese: 協力する (kyōryoku suru) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Japanese: 共同して働く (kyōdō shite hataraku) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Korean: 공동으로 일하다 (gongdong'euro ilhada) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Latvian: sadarboties — to work together on a piece of work
  • Latvian: līdzdarboties — to work together on a piece of work
  • Lithuanian: drauge dirbti — to work together on a piece of work
  • Māori: mahitahi — to work together on a piece of work
  • Norwegian: samarbeide — to work together on a piece of work
  • Occitan: collaborar — to work together on a piece of work
  • Old English: efnwyrċan — to work together on a piece of work
  • Polish: współpracować — to work together on a piece of work
  • Portuguese: colaborar — to work together on a piece of work
  • Quechua: haymay — to work together on a piece of work
  • Romanian: colabora — to work together on a piece of work
  • Russian: сотру́дничать (sotrúdničatʹ) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Russian: коопери́ровать (kooperírovatʹ) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Serbo-Croatian: сарађивати — to work together on a piece of work
  • Serbo-Croatian: сурађивати — to work together on a piece of work
  • Slovak: spolupracovať — to work together on a piece of work
  • Slovene: sodelovati — to work together on a piece of work
  • Spanish: colaborar — to work together on a piece of work
  • Spanish: coadyuvar — to work together on a piece of work
  • Swedish: samarbeta — to work together on a piece of work
  • Swedish: samverka — to work together on a piece of work
  • Thai: ร่วมมือ (rûuam-mʉʉ) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Thai: ประสานงาน (bprà-sǎan-ngaan) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Turkish: birlikte çalışmak — to work together on a piece of work
  • Ukrainian: співпрацюва́ти (spivpracjuváty) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Uyghur: ھەمكارلاشماق (hemkarlashmaq) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Yiddish: מיטאַרבעטן (mitarbetn) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Yiddish: צוזאַמענאַרבעטן (tsuzamenarbetn) — to work together on a piece of work
  • Arabic: تَعاوَنُ مَعَ العَدُوّ (taʕāwanu maʕa l-ʕaduww) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Bulgarian: колаборирам (kolaboriram) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Chinese Mandarin: 勾結 /勾结 (gōujié) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Chinese Mandarin: 通敵 /通敌 (tōngdí) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Czech: kolaborovat — to cooperate treasonably
  • Danish: kollaborere — to cooperate treasonably
  • Danish: samarbejde — to cooperate treasonably
  • Dutch: collaboreren — to cooperate treasonably
  • Estonian: kollaboreerima — to cooperate treasonably
  • Finnish: olla yhteistoiminnassa — to cooperate treasonably
  • Finnish: olla yhteistyössä — to cooperate treasonably
  • French: collaborer — to cooperate treasonably
  • German: kollaborieren — to cooperate treasonably
  • German: mit dem Feind zusammenarbeiten — to cooperate treasonably
  • Greek: συνεργάζομαι (synergázomai) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Hebrew: שיתף פעולה (shitéf p'ula) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Hungarian: kollaborál — to cooperate treasonably
  • Hungarian: összejátszik — to cooperate treasonably
  • Icelandic: vinna með — to cooperate treasonably
  • Indonesian: berkhianat — to cooperate treasonably
  • Italian: collaborare — to cooperate treasonably
  • Japanese: 協力する (kyōryoku suru) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Korean: 협력하다 — to cooperate treasonably
  • Latvian: sadarboties (ar ienaidnieku) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Lithuanian: bendradarbiauti — to cooperate treasonably
  • Lithuanian: kolaboruoti — to cooperate treasonably
  • Norwegian: samarbeide (med fienden) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Norwegian: kollaborere — to cooperate treasonably
  • Polish: kolaborować — to cooperate treasonably
  • Portuguese: colaborar — to cooperate treasonably
  • Romanian: colabora — to cooperate treasonably
  • Russian: сотру́дничать с враго́м (sotrúdničatʹ s vragóm) — to cooperate treasonably
  • Slovak: kolaborovať — to cooperate treasonably
  • Slovene: kolaborirati — to cooperate treasonably
  • Spanish: colaborar — to cooperate treasonably
  • Swedish: samarbeta — to cooperate treasonably
  • Swedish: kollaborera — to cooperate treasonably
  • Turkish: işbirliği yapmak — to cooperate treasonably
Real reading context

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