colleague
noun
col·league
ˈkä-(ˌ)lēg 
: an associate or coworker typically in a profession or in a civil or ecclesiastical office and often of similar rank or status : a fellow worker or professional
Did you know?
Which of the following words come from the same source as colleague: college, legacy, collaborate, allegation, collar, relegate, delegate? It might be easier to guess if you know that the ancestor in question is legare, a Latin verb meaning "to choose or send as a deputy or emissary" or "to bequeath." All of the words in the list above except collaborate (which comes from the Latin collaborare, meaning "to labor together") and collar (from collum, collus, Latin for "neck") are descendants of legare.
Examples of colleague in a Sentence
Not since Cronkite's CBS mentor and colleague Edward R. Murrow lifted Senator Joe McCarthy by the skunk tail for public inspection had one TV broadcast reflected such a fateful climate change in public opinion.
—
James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003
My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees.
—George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999
Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related.
—Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998
… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian …
—John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995
A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.
on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome
James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2003
My colleague Gene Sperling and I were standing over my speakerphone, but for all Mario Cuomo knew we were on our knees.
—George Stephanopoulos, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 1999
Nineteenth-century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley, a colleague of Charles Darwin, was the first to suggest that dinosaurs and birds were related.
—Laura Tangley, U.S. News & World Report, 6 July 1998
… it gets noticed no more than an hour later by another colleague of mine, whom I've never met personally but know to be an art historian …
—John Barth, Atlantic, March 1995
A colleague of mine will be speaking at the conference.
on her first day at work her colleagues went out of their way to make her feel welcome
Recent Examples on the Web
Party delegates then nominated Harris, Newsom’s longtime political colleague in California.
—Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
His passion for taking pictures showed in his assignments, colleagues said, even the less exciting ones.
—Natasha Delion, Twin Cities, 9 Nov. 2024
The would-be heisters perform exactly as expected, and once again, Elsbeth and Kaya have helped their colleague get their man.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
My colleagues at Forbes have some great reporting on how employment laws could change under either candidate, the inner debate at TikTok over how much political content to show on the platform, and why small business will win regardless of who takes the White House.
—Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for colleague 
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Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
His passion for taking pictures showed in his assignments, colleagues said, even the less exciting ones.
—Natasha Delion, Twin Cities, 9 Nov. 2024
The would-be heisters perform exactly as expected, and once again, Elsbeth and Kaya have helped their colleague get their man.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
My colleagues at Forbes have some great reporting on how employment laws could change under either candidate, the inner debate at TikTok over how much political content to show on the platform, and why small business will win regardless of who takes the White House.
—Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for colleague
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Cite this Entry
“Colleague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colleague. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colleague
noun
col·league
ˈkäl-ˌēg
: an associate in a profession or office
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