conspire
verb
con·spire
kən-ˈspī(-ə)r 
conspired; conspiring
1
a
: to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or an act which becomes unlawful as a result of the secret agreement
accused of conspiring to overthrow the government
conspired to monopolize and restrict trade
b
: scheme
2
: to act in harmony toward a common end
Circumstances conspired to defeat his efforts.
… the sun and the wind conspired to make splinters out of solid wood.—
B. J. Oliphant
B. J. OliphantSynonyms
Examples of conspire in a Sentence
conspired to replace the leader with someone more easily influenced
foul weather and airline foul-ups seemed to be conspiring to ruin our vacation
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump even admits that some of the conduct that Smith alleged in the indictment, such as conspiring with private attorneys to create fraudulent slates of electors, are unofficial acts—meaning that if Smith decided to pursue only those allegations, Trump would claim no immunity.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
The group of fake electors and Trump allies conspired to keep Trump in office despite losing the election, the Arizona grand jury indictment says.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2024
Donald Donatelli, 28, and Angela Schweitzer, 35, are charged in federal court in Cincinnati with conspiring to commit malicious damage and destruction of a building in interstate commerce.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 24 Apr. 2024
Pecker's testimony illustrated the prosecution argument that Trump conspired to hide scandalous stories before the 2016 election, although Trump denies paying for them.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
This week, after hearing six days of testimony and then closing arguments, the jury has been deliberating whether CACI employees conspired to abuse or torture the plaintiffs, and if so, whether CACI should pay damages.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, the dozen jurors unanimously found the 73-year-old former Ecuadorian government comptroller guilty of conspiring to commit money laundering and five related counts, carrying up to 20 years in prison.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Turns out, the assumption that human blood attracts sharks is one of the many misconceptions that have conspired to give the apex predator of the seas an unfairly bad rap.
—Chris Spinder, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024
Brought by District Attorney Jesse Wilson, six individuals allegedly conspired to commit several hunting crimes.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 22 Apr. 2024
Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
The group of fake electors and Trump allies conspired to keep Trump in office despite losing the election, the Arizona grand jury indictment says.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2024
Donald Donatelli, 28, and Angela Schweitzer, 35, are charged in federal court in Cincinnati with conspiring to commit malicious damage and destruction of a building in interstate commerce.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 24 Apr. 2024
Pecker's testimony illustrated the prosecution argument that Trump conspired to hide scandalous stories before the 2016 election, although Trump denies paying for them.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
This week, after hearing six days of testimony and then closing arguments, the jury has been deliberating whether CACI employees conspired to abuse or torture the plaintiffs, and if so, whether CACI should pay damages.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, the dozen jurors unanimously found the 73-year-old former Ecuadorian government comptroller guilty of conspiring to commit money laundering and five related counts, carrying up to 20 years in prison.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Turns out, the assumption that human blood attracts sharks is one of the many misconceptions that have conspired to give the apex predator of the seas an unfairly bad rap.
—Chris Spinder, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024
Brought by District Attorney Jesse Wilson, six individuals allegedly conspired to commit several hunting crimes.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 22 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conspire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near conspire
Cite this Entry
“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conspire
verb
con·spire
kən-ˈspī(ə)r
conspired; conspiring
1
: to agree secretly to do an unlawful act : plot
conspiring to overthrow the dictator
2
: to act together
measles and the weather conspired to spoil our vacation
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