cooperate

verb

co·​op·​er·​ate kō-ˈä-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce cooperate (audio)
cooperated; cooperating; cooperates

intransitive verb

1
: to act or work with another or others : act together or in compliance
refused to cooperate with the police
2
: to associate with another or others for mutual benefit
nations cooperating to fight terrorism
cooperator noun

Examples of cooperate in a Sentence

It will be much easier if everyone cooperates. Several organizations cooperated in the relief efforts. The country agreed to cooperate with the other nations on the trade agreement. The mother asked the child to put on his pajamas, but the child refused to cooperate. Witnesses were willing to cooperate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Police said Patterson remained at the scene and cooperated with responding officers. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025 Thomson told Newsweek the move send a message to Governor Gavin Newsom that Oroville strongly opposes laws that limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal agencies. Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025 Comer and other Republicans on the committee suggested that the mayors should be doing more to cooperate with the Trump administration and its deportation efforts. Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2025 Connolly, the ranking member, continued the line of questioning, asking whether Adams was pressured, in exchange for dropping the charges, to cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cooperate

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin cooperatus, past participle of cooperari, from Latin co- + operari to work — more at operate

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cooperate was in 1582

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cooperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooperate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

cooperate

verb
co·​op·​er·​ate kō-ˈäp-(ə-)ˌrāt How to pronounce cooperate (audio)
cooperated; cooperating
: to act, work, or associate with others so as to get something done

More from Merriam-Webster on cooperate

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