conspire

verb

con·​spire kən-ˈspī(-ə)r How to pronounce conspire (audio)
conspired; conspiring

intransitive verb

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In his motion, Brindley accused the U.S. Attorney’s Office of knowingly conspiring to use information protected by attorney-client privilege, including information procured from one of Kelly’s cellmates. Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025 Daybell, 51, was found guilty on Thursday of conspiring to kill Brandon Boudreaux, the ex-husband of her niece, in October 2019, according to The Associated Press, as well as local outlets ABC 15 and NBC 12. Sean Neumann, People.com, 13 June 2025 Eppinger, 25, also pleaded guilty to a host of other counts, including armed robbery, theft by taking, gun charges and conspiring to violate the state's RICO Act. Arkansas Online, 10 June 2025 Then, two weeks ago, Sly woke up to the news that the landlord had filed a $3 million lawsuit against him for conspiring to drive all the tenants out of the apartment house. Timothy Crouse, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for conspire

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French conspirer, from Latin conspirare to be in harmony, conspire, from com- + spirare to breathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of conspire was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

conspire

verb
con·​spire kən-ˈspī(ə)r How to pronounce conspire (audio)
conspired; conspiring
1
: to agree secretly to do an unlawful act : plot
conspiring to overthrow the dictator
2
: to act together
delays and the weather conspired to spoil our vacation

Legal Definition

conspire

intransitive verb
con·​spire kən-ˈspīr How to pronounce conspire (audio)
conspired; conspiring
: to join in a conspiracy compare solicit
Etymology

Latin conspirare to be in harmony, to join in an unlawful agreement, from com- together + spirare to breathe

More from Merriam-Webster on conspire

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