# collective

/kəˈɫɛktɪv/ (US) · /kəlˈɛktɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/collective
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. done by a group

adjective · CEFR B2

done by or belonging to all the people in a group together.

For teachers: relating to or done by all members of a group as a single body.

- The team made a collective decision to donate their prize money to charity.
- The success of the project was the result of a collective effort, requiring seamless coordination between the design and engineering departments.

Usage: usually placed before the noun

### 2. a cooperative group

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a group of people who work together on a project or business and share the profits and control.

For teachers: a cooperative enterprise or organisation owned and managed by its members.

- She joined an artists' collective to share studio space and organize exhibitions.
- The workers formed a collective to manage the factory after the original owners declared bankruptcy, ensuring that every employee had a vote in major decisions.

Teaching tip: Often used in political or artistic contexts to describe non-hierarchical organisations.

### 3. grammar

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a word that represents a group of people or things but is used in the singular form.

For teachers: a collective noun; a noun that denotes a group of individuals.

- 'Team' and 'family' are examples of collective nouns.
- In British English, a collective noun like 'staff' is often followed by a plural verb, whereas American English typically prefers the singular.

Usage: refers specifically to the linguistic category

### 4. helicopter control

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the lever a pilot uses to make a helicopter go up or down.

For teachers: the flight control that changes the pitch of all main rotor blades simultaneously to control altitude.

- The pilot pulled up on the collective to lift the helicopter off the ground.
- To maintain a steady hover, the pilot must precisely coordinate inputs between the collective, the cyclic, and the anti-torque pedals.

## Examples

- The local art collective holds a gallery show every month.
- Farmers in the region formed a collective to negotiate better prices for their crops and share expensive machinery.
- While individual members maintain their creative autonomy, the collective provides a unified platform for distribution and advocacy that none could achieve independently.

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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.