Secret cooperation or conspiracy, especially for illegal or deceitful purposes; fraudulent collaboration between parties who appear to be in opposition. Implies deliberate deception of others.
From Latin 'colludere' meaning 'to play together,' from 'col-' (together) and 'ludere' (to play). The word originally suggested actors playing together but evolved to imply deceptive collaboration.
Think 'collision' but with cooperation instead of crashing - people colluding are working together, but secretly and usually for bad purposes. They're 'playing together' to deceive others.
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