Associate, collaborator (7)
I believe the answer is:
partner
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'associate' is the first definition.
(I know that partner is a type of associate)
'collaborator' is the second definition.
(I know that collaborator can be written as partner)
(Other definitions for partner that I've seen before include "Colleague, bedfellow" , "One sharing home or business" , "Accomplice" , "Either member of a couple" , "Confederate" .)