collaborate

/kəˌlæbəˈreɪt/

/kəˈlæbɔreɪt/

Other forms: collaborated; collaborating; collaborates

When you work together on shared goal, you collaborate. If you don't just split a project up evenly but work together on creating solutions, you collaborate.

Inside the word you see co-labor, or "working together." Cooperation is simply splitting up the work and getting it done. Collaboration is when you brainstorm, create, and share possible solutions. During World War II, however, Nazi collaborators were sharing ideas with the wrong side. In today's pop music scene, collaboration means featuring a guest star on a record, and it's often a surefire way to boost sales.

Definitions of collaborate

1. verb

   work together on a common enterprise or project
   synonyms: cooperate, get together, join forces

   types:

   go along, play along

   cooperate or pretend to cooperate

   type of:

   work

   exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
2. verb

   cooperate as a traitor
   “he collaborated with the Nazis when they occupied Paris”

   synonyms:

   cooperate, get together, join forces

   work together on a common enterprise or project

   type of:

   cooperate, get together, join forces

   work together on a common enterprise or project