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collusion

collusion

88 8.4
Secret deal by people or companies to cheat others
  • noun
  • /kəˈluːʒən/
: colusión
  • The scandal involved collusion among politicians to manipulate the election results.
  • tacit collusion
  • lead to collusion
  • involve collusion

It is what we have colloquially called collusion with Russia.

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Examples

  • The investigation revealed secret collusion between several companies to fix prices.

  • A surprise attack succeeds because of what amounts to collusion between the attacker and the victim.

    Academic text (1995)
  • It's clearly a case of collusion.

  • But the cost of this collusion between Congress and the courts is high.

    Academic text (1990)
  • There was actual crime of collusion in this jurisdiction.

  • And we're not acting in collusion on the Middleton case.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • They found no collusion between Donald Trump and Russia.

  • Politicians seek power, and bankers seek profit, and their collusion is responsible for the present crisis.

    Blog text (3)
  • They now have specific, concrete and corroborative evidence of collusion, the source said.

  • DRAM has been in a global shortage, allegedly due to collusion between the major producers, for months.

Synonyms

conspiracy
vscollusion
625 5.5

A secret plan by a group to do something illegal or harmful

is more about coordinated cheating or cooperation than about planning alone
complicity
vscollusion
  • Formal
29 8.4

Taking part with others in a crime

implies intentional secret cooperation to deceive or cheat rather than mere involvement
cahoots
vscollusion
  • Informal
20 8.1

A secret plan with someone to do something dishonest or illegal

is the neutral more formal word for secret illegal cooperation to deceive
in cahoots
vscollusion
  • Informal
19 7.6

Secretly working together to do something dishonest

is a neutral noun for secret illegal cooperation rather than a spoken phrase
connivance
vscollusion
  • Formal
2 9.9

Secret help that allows someone to do something illegal

focuses on active cooperation to cheat or deceive rather than mere approval
caballing
vscollusion
  • UK
9.9

Involving secret plans by a small group to influence decisions

covers secret illegal cooperation to cheat broadly, not only internal plotting

Antonyms

329 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

139 3.7

Being clear so people can see or understand how something works

How Secret

conspiracy
625 5.5
collusion
88 8.4
collaboration
163 4.0
cooperation
394 2.5

Surface Forms

collusion singular
collusions plural

Morphology

collusion = collude (transparent) = collude + ion

The noun is a regular nominalization of the verb 'collude', so the meaning follows directly from the base word and the suffix '-ion'.

Etymology

Collusion comes from the Latin parts com- ('together') and ludere ('to play'), so it originally meant 'to play together'. Think of it as a secret 'playing together'—people quietly working with each other to cheat or deceive, which is why collusion means secret or illegal cooperation.