cooperation

Language: en

🇬🇧 /kəʊˌɒpəˈreɪʃən/ 🇺🇸 /koʊˌɑpɜrˈeɪʃən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The act or process of working together with others toward a common goal or purpose.; Willingness to assist or comply with others; helpfulness in working together.; In biology, a mutually beneficial interaction between organisms of the same or different species.; In economics or game theory, a strategy in which individuals or groups work together for mutual benefit rather than competing.; The combined effort or joint action of multiple parties, organizations, or nations.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

in cooperation withclose cooperationinternational cooperationmutual cooperationcooperation betweenspirit of cooperation

Derivatives

cooperatecooperativecooperativelycooperativenesscooperatoruncooperativenoncooperation

Synonyms

collaborationteamworkpartnershipcoordinationjoint effortsynergy

Antonyms

competitionoppositionconflictrivalry

Commonly confused

collaboration
EN: 'Collaboration' emphasizes working together on a shared project or goal, often implying deeper joint involvement; 'cooperation' is broader and can simply mean willingness to help or comply.
coordination
EN: 'Coordination' focuses on organizing and synchronizing activities; 'cooperation' focuses on the willingness to work together.

Spelling tips

EN: Both 'cooperation' and 'co-operation' are acceptable, but the unhyphenated form is standard in modern American English. Don't confuse with 'corporation'.

💬 Examples

  1. The success of the project depended on the cooperation of all team members.

  2. The suspect showed no cooperation during the police interrogation.

  3. Cooperation between certain species of birds and large mammals helps both find food more easily.

  4. In the prisoner's dilemma, cooperation yields a better collective outcome than mutual defection.

  5. International cooperation is essential to address climate change effectively.