# colleague

/ˈkɑɫiɡ/ (US) · /kˈɒliːɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/colleague
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. to join together

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Formal

to join or work together with other people.

For teachers: to unite or associate with others. This verbal use is extremely rare in modern English and is largely restricted to historical or legal contexts.

- The two small groups decided to colleague together for the project.
- In the ancient charter, the various guilds were permitted to colleague for the purpose of mutual defence and trade regulation.

## Examples

- I am going to lunch with a colleague from the marketing team.
- After the meeting, my colleague helped me finish the report so we could leave the office on time.
- While they are close friends outside of the office, they maintain a strictly professional relationship as colleagues during business hours to avoid any appearance of bias.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.