Collude
/kəˈluːd/
verbC2
Definition
Collude means to plan or act together in secret with others to do something dishonest or illegal. People who collude usually want to gain an unfair advantage or hide their actions from others. It often involves cheating or breaking rules.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Secretly planning together to do something dishonest or illegal
- •The companies colluded to fix prices and avoid competition.
- •The politicians were accused of colluding to hide the truth.
- •They colluded to cheat on the exam by sharing answers secretly.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "collude" like "work," but secretly and for a bad purpose, not for good or open reasons
- ✓Picture two people whispering in a dark room, making plans nobody else knows about
- ✓It's the feeling when you know someone is hiding something and working with others to trick you
- ✓Sounds like "co-LOOD" → imagine a secret "club" where people make hidden plans
- ✓Think of stories about spies or thieves who plan crimes together without telling anyone
- ✓NOT like "help" (which is open and good), collude is secret and bad
- ✓NOT like "cooperate" (which can be honest), collude is dishonest cooperation
- ✓NOT like "conspire" (very similar meaning but "collude" is often used for cheating in business or politics)
- ✓NOT like "agree" (open and honest), collude is secret and usually illegal
Try Other Words
- •Conspire: secretly plan to do something harmful or illegal (Use when emphasizing secret planning, often for serious crimes)
- •Plot: make a secret plan, usually bad (Use when talking about secret plans, less formal than collude)
- •Scheme: plan in a secret and sometimes dishonest way (Use when focusing on the plan itself, often with bad intentions)
- •Collaborate: work together (Use only when the work is honest and open, not secret or illegal)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "col-" (together) + root "ludere" (Latin for "to play, to deceive")
- •Etymology: From Latin "colludere," meaning "to play together," often with a sense of trickery or deceit
- •Historical development: Originally meant to play or act together, but over time came to mean secret and dishonest cooperation
- •Modern usage: Used mainly in legal, business, and political contexts to describe secret cooperation to cheat or break rules
Reflect & Connect
•Why do you think people choose to collude instead of acting openly and honestly?
•How can recognizing collusion help protect people from being tricked or treated unfairly?
Fill in the blanks
1.The two companies colluded in secret to ___ the market prices and ___ their profits.
2.When people collude, they usually want to ___ something unfair or illegal without others knowing.
3.Collude differs from cooperate because it involves ___ actions and ___ intentions.
4.The politicians were found to have colluded to ___ the election results.
5.Colluding often happens ___, not in public or with open discussion.
6.If someone cheats alone, they do not ___, but if they work secretly with others, they ___ to cheat.
7.Businesses that collude often ___ laws about fair competition to get an advantage.