co-op
/ˈkəʊ ɒp/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkəʊ ɑːp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkəʊˌɒp/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkoʊˌɑːp/ (ame, ipa)
co-op — noun
1. a shop, farm, or other business where the workers themselves jointly own the com
a shop, farm, or other business where the workers themselves jointly own the company and share the profits and decisions, rather than working for an outside boss.
Noa buys all her vegetables from the local farmers' co-op every Saturday morning.
common collocation: farmers' co-op
After years at a big bakery, Christopher quit and helped start a small worker-owned bread co-op.
pattern: start / set up a co-op
The taxi drivers in this city formed a co-op so they could keep all the fares themselves.
Members of the cheese co-op meet every month to vote on prices and new staff.
Eshe joined the food co-op last spring and now works one shift in the shop each week.
- cooperative
the full, slightly more formal word — used in legal or business contexts
- collective
broader; can describe any group-run venture, including art studios and farms
- mutual
chiefly for financial co-ops such as savings banks and insurance societies
- corporation
owned by outside shareholders, not by the workers themselves
- franchise
individually owned but tied to a central brand, not jointly run
文法句型
a co-op of [people]
join/run a co-op
用法筆記
Short for 'cooperative' and slightly more casual; spoken and journalistic English prefer 'co-op' for the everyday shop or farm sense.
常見錯誤
2. a non-profit organization, usually in a city, that owns a block of flats or hous
a non-profit organization, usually in a city, that owns a block of flats or houses; its members buy a share in the organization and that share gives them the right to live in one of the units.
Ritu's parents have belonged to a Brooklyn housing co-op since the early nineties.
collocation: housing co-op
Before approving a buyer, the co-op interviews every family that wants to move into the building.
passive subject: 'the co-op' as decision-maker
Heloísa joined a small co-op uptown because the monthly fees were lower than a normal rental.
Each month the co-op sends out a newsletter about repairs to the elevators and the roof.
- housing cooperative
the full term, common in legal documents and bank paperwork
- condominium
a similar building where residents directly own their apartment instead of owning a share in the building
文法句型
a housing co-op
live in / belong to a co-op
用法筆記
Mainly American, especially in New York City; distinguishes from sense 3, which is the apartment unit itself rather than the organization that owns it.
常見錯誤
3. a flat or apartment located inside a housing co-op building — what you actually
a flat or apartment located inside a housing co-op building — what you actually live in once you have bought a share in the organization that owns the whole block.
Élise finally sold her tiny one-bedroom co-op after living there for almost twenty years.
pattern: buy / sell a co-op
Omar and his wife are looking at a two-bedroom co-op near the park in Queens.
collocation: [number]-bedroom co-op
The Watanabe family's co-op has lovely tall windows and a small balcony facing the river.
Buying a co-op in this neighborhood usually involves a long interview with the board.
- condo
an apartment you directly own, rather than one you live in through a co-op share
文法句型
a [number]-bedroom co-op
buy / sell a co-op
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is the organization that owns the building; sense 3 is one apartment within it. The same word covers both, so context (or 'housing co-op' vs 'a co-op') is what disambiguates.
常見錯誤
4. a style of video-game play in which two or more players work together as a team
a style of video-game play in which two or more players work together as a team against the game itself, rather than competing with each other to win.
Yuki and Leo play co-op every Friday night after dinner.
pattern: play co-op (with someone)
The new shooter has a four-player co-op campaign that takes about twelve hours to finish.
collocation: co-op campaign / mode
Hoa prefers co-op over competitive matches because nobody yells at her for missing a shot.
In co-op, two players share a single screen and must rescue the villagers together.
- cooperative play
the longer, more descriptive form used in game reviews and articles
- team mode
broader gaming term that may include team-vs-team as well as team-vs-game
- PvP
player-versus-player — the competitive opposite where humans fight humans
- single-player
playing alone against the game, with no teammates
文法句型
play co-op
in co-op
co-op mode
用法筆記
Almost always used in informal gaming talk; the parallel word in gaming circles is 'PvP' (player versus player) for the competitive opposite.
常見錯誤
co-op — adjective
1. describing a flat or building that belongs to a housing co-op — that is, owned b
describing a flat or building that belongs to a housing co-op — that is, owned by an organization in which the residents themselves are members and shareholders.
Tariq is renovating a small co-op apartment on the third floor of a pre-war building.
pattern: co-op + apartment / building
The co-op unit comes with a parking space and a tiny patch of shared garden.
Lisa prefers a co-op building because the residents help decide who moves in next.
Most co-op buildings in this part of Brooklyn date from the 1920s.
- cooperative
the full word; common in real-estate listings and legal documents
- condo
as an attributive, describes apartments owned individually rather than through co-op shares
文法句型
a co-op [apartment / building / unit]
用法筆記
Attributive only — comes before a noun like 'apartment', 'unit', or 'building'. You cannot say 'the apartment is co-op'; rephrase as 'the apartment is in a co-op'.
常見錯誤
2. describing a game, mode, or activity in which several players team up to reach t
describing a game, mode, or activity in which several players team up to reach the same goal together, instead of competing against one another.
Amani downloaded a new co-op shooter so she could play with her cousins online.
collocation: co-op shooter / game
The studio added a four-player co-op mission to the game after listening to fans.
pattern: number + co-op mission / mode
Sirin and her brother spent the whole weekend on a co-op puzzle game about trapped astronauts.
A good co-op design rewards players for helping each other instead of racing to the end alone.
- cooperative
the full word; common in formal game reviews
- multiplayer
broader — covers both co-op and competitive play
- competitive
players fight against each other rather than working as a team
- single-player
designed for one player alone with no teammates
文法句型
a co-op [game / mode / mission / campaign]
用法筆記
Attributive in normal use; predicative use ('the game is co-op') is rare and sounds clipped — prefer 'the game has a co-op mode'.
常見錯誤
co-op — adverb
1. in a way where several players join forces and play together against the game, r
in a way where several players join forces and play together against the game, rather than competing against one another.
Linh and Mia finished the whole storyline co-op in a single weekend.
pattern: finish / beat [game] co-op
It's much easier to beat the final boss co-op than alone.
contrast: co-op vs alone
The friends like to play the survival levels co-op, sharing food and ammo as they go.
You can play this adventure co-op with up to three other people on the same console.
- cooperatively
the full adverb; sounds more formal and is used outside gaming contexts too
- together
broader and friendlier, but loses the specific 'on the same team against the game' meaning
- competitively
playing against each other rather than as teammates
- solo
playing on one's own, with no other human players
文法句型
play [something] co-op
用法筆記
Modifies a play-verb such as 'play', 'beat', 'finish', or 'run through'. In writing, gamers often spell it 'co-op' with the hyphen to keep it visually distinct from the noun 'coop' (a small cage for birds).