verb
collude
kuh-LOOD/kəˈluːd/
To cooperate secretly for a dishonest or illegal purpose.
The two players collude, secretly exchanging information about their cards beneath the table.
Etymology
Literally “to play together,” the Latin compound also meant acting collusively. In the English sense, the shared activity is secret cooperation in fraud or deception.
In context
NHK was worried that MPT's new ownership would effectively terminate any prior agreements between the two to collude. Fortunately for NHK, as noted in court documents, it seemed the conspiracy was pretty profitable.
More examples
- The supplier colludes with a manager to submit fake invoices.
- Several bidders colluded to rig the auction.
- Investigators suspect the executives are colluding to hide company losses.
Forms
collude · colludes · colluded · colluding
collusion noun — Secret cooperation for dishonest or illegal purposes.
collusive adjective — Involving secret cooperation for a dishonest purpose.