conspiracy

noun con·spir·a·cy \ kən-ˈspir-ə-sē \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: conspiracy in a Sentence

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

There were people who were convinced we were part of a government conspiracy to cover everything up.

— alex wong, GQ, "What a Filmmaker Learned from Taking Flat Earthers Seriously," 4 June 2018
In another post, published by Buzzfeed, Reid suggests that the government found the architects of the terror attack very quickly afterwards, raising suspicions of a conspiracy.

— mike snider, USA TODAY, "Joy Reid raised questions about 9/11 conspiracy on old website," 31 May 2018
She was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, and served a five-month prison sentence.

— nick romano, EW.com, "President Trump considers pardoning Martha Stewart," 31 May 2018
McConkey and Hoser were booked on suspicion of conspiracy and kidnapping.

— laignee barron, Time, "Two Flight School Instructors Are Accused of Kidnapping a Foreign Student and Trying to Deport Him to China," 28 May 2018
When his entire office ends up dead, Joe is suspect number one and must try to stay alive while getting to the bottom of a far-reaching conspiracy and stop them from completing their deadly objective that threatens the lives of millions.

— sandra gonzalez, CNN, "8 new shows to watch this summer," 28 May 2018
Schrade said the various theories of conspiracy and hypnotic programming are of little interest to him.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Who killed Bobby Kennedy? His son RFK Jr. doesn't believe it was Sirhan Sirhan," 27 May 2018
Tochukwu Nwosisi, 47, was arrested Thursday on charges of conspiracy of money laundering and concealment of money laundering.

— samantha ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Man accused in money laundering case to be tried in Houston federal court," 25 May 2018
Stamina Founder Davide Vannoni was convicted of criminal conspiracy after plea bargaining in 2015 and is now under investigation again.

— luca tancredi barone, Science | AAAS, "Italy’s new prime minister defended discredited stem cell therapy," 24 May 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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