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Prepositions after verbs

Collaborate with, on, in, across, or as?

Collaborate commonly combines with with for partners and on for projects. Other prepositions add information about fields, boundaries, or roles.

Quick answer

Which preposition should follow collaborate?

Use collaborate with to name the person or organisation. Use collaborate on for the task or project. In, across, and as are possible in broader contextual meanings.

She collaborated with a local designer.
The teams collaborated on a new app.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
collaborate with + person/group

Naming a partner

With introduces the person, company, or organisation working together.

The scientist collaborated with researchers in Japan.
Our company collaborated with a charity group.
2
collaborate on + project

Working together on a task

On introduces the project, product, or activity.

They collaborated on a documentary film.
Several agencies collaborated on the report.
3
collaborate in + field/activity

Participating within an area of work

In introduces a field, industry, or activity where collaboration occurs.

Universities collaborate in medical research.
Artists often collaborate in community projects.
4
collaborate across + boundaries

Working beyond divisions

Across introduces departments, borders, disciplines, or platforms.

Teams collaborated across different time zones.
The programme encourages staff to collaborate across departments.
5
collaborate as + role

Describing the role in cooperation

As identifies the role or capacity of the participant.

She collaborated as an independent adviser.
They collaborated as equal partners.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
collaborate with
I collaborated with a photographer.
identify the partner
collaborate on
We collaborated on the campaign.
identify the shared project
collaborate in
Several firms collaborate in renewable energy research.
show the field or activity
collaborate across
Staff collaborate across regions.
show cooperation beyond boundaries
collaborate as
She collaborated as a consultant.
show role or capacity

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using with for the project

Use on before the task or product.

✕ They collaborated with a marketing campaign. ✓ They collaborated on a marketing campaign.

Omitting with before a partner

Collaborate normally needs with before the person or organisation.

✕ She collaborated the university. ✓ She collaborated with the university.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The engineers collaborated ___ a new bridge design.
2. Our studio collaborated ___ an international artist.
3. The company encourages teams to collaborate ___ departments.

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Frequently asked questions

Can collaborate be used without a preposition?

Yes, but a preposition is usually added to specify the partner or project.

Is collaborate in formal English?

Yes. It is used when referring to a field, activity, or environment.

What is the difference between collaborate with and collaborate on?

With names who you work with, while on names what you work on.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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