conspiracy

noun con·spir·a·cy \ kən-ˈspir-ə-sē \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of conspiracy

plural conspiracies

1 : the act of conspiring together

They were accused of conspiracy to commit murder.

2 a : an agreement among conspirators

uncovered a conspiracy against the government

b : a group of conspirators

a conspiracy made up of disgruntled aristocrats

See conspiracy defined for English-language learners

See conspiracy defined for kids

Examples of conspiracy in a Sentence

The CIA uncovered a conspiracy against the government.
They were accused of conspiracy to commit murder.

Recent Examples of conspiracy from the Web

Threats, conspiracies, sanctions and wars come and go.

— christopher dickey, New York Times, "War Without End," 6 Apr. 2018
Both are in custody, charged with murder, robbery, conspiracy, and gun offenses.

— julie shaw, Philly.com, "DA's Office: Alleged gunman in Grandzol killing shouldn't go to juvenile court," 4 Apr. 2018
Williams has a long criminal record and has been in prison continuously since 2005, when a jury convicted him of conspiracy, assault and attempted murder.

— edmund h. mahony, courant.com, "Court Rules State Erred In Seizing Inmate's Civil Rights Judgment," 29 Mar. 2018
As key witnesses in a witness-killing conspiracy, both Johnson and Leach had provided substantial help at great risk to their lives, the judge said.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "Getaway driver in Lake Wylie murders asks judge to let her voice be heard | Charlotte Observer," 29 Mar. 2018
The money originally came from one of the defendants, lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy, making a campaign contribution in the name of another and obstruction of a federal agent.

— andrew dyer, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Dumanis gave to charity, says $15,000 in donations covers tainted campaign contributions," 27 Mar. 2018
This is how my days passed: afternoons spent in the echo chamber of television and the thickets of comment-board conspiracy, evenings dedicated to The Archaeology of Knowledge and Simulacra and Simulation.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Drowning In a River of Murky Thought," 22 Mar. 2018
Tom Brown is the first of Governor Jim Mahoney’s advisers to be indicted on federal charges of racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, and extortion.

— jessica knoll, Glamour, "The Governor’s Daughter Has a Big Problem," 20 Mar. 2018
The four, whose actions date back to 2011, are now facing a range of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud charges, according to the indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

— ryan martin, Indianapolis Star, "Instead of helping Hoosier veterans, they went to the casino, indictment says," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conspiracy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of conspiracy

Middle English conspiracie, from Latin conspirare — see conspire

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

conspiracy Synonyms

Synonyms

design, intrigue, machination, plot, scheme;

Related Words

counterconspiracy, counterplot;

frame-up;

manipulation, subterfuge, trickery;

artifice, contrivance, cover-up, dodge, draft, maneuver, stratagem, trick;

cabal, confederacy, ring;

game, gimmick, racket;

ground plan, program, strategy, system;

collusion, complicity, connivance, conniving, conspiration;

Synonym Discussion of conspiracy

plot, intrigue, machination, conspiracy, cabal mean a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end. plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

- an assassination plot

intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

- backstairs intrigue

machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

- the machinations of a party boss

conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

- a conspiracy to fix prices

cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

- a cabal among powerful senators

CONSPIRACY Defined for English Language Learners

conspiracy

noun

Definition of conspiracy for English Language Learners

: a secret plan made by two or more people to do something that is harmful or illegal
: the act of secretly planning to do something that is harmful or illegal

CONSPIRACY Defined for Kids

conspiracy

noun con·spir·a·cy \ kən-ˈspir-ə-sē \

Definition of conspiracy for Students

plural conspiracies

1 : a secret agreement to do something harmful or unlawful

2 : the act of plotting with others to do something harmful or unlawful

3 : a group of conspirators

Law Dictionary

conspiracy

noun con·spir·a·cy \ kən-ˈspir-ə-sē \

legal Definition of conspiracy

plural conspiracies

1 : an agreement between two or more people to commit an act prohibited by law or to commit a lawful act by means prohibited by law; also : the crime or tort of participating in a conspiracy — compare substantive crime

Note: Some states require an overt act in addition to the agreement to constitute conspiracy.

— chain conspiracy

: a conspiracy in which the conspirators act separately and successively (as in distributing narcotics)

— civil conspiracy

: a conspiracy that is not prosecuted as a crime but that forms the grounds for a lawsuit

— criminal conspiracy

: a conspiracy prosecuted as a crime

2 : a group of conspirators