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. OliphantExamples 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
But in the midst of conspiring, Yusuf doesn't realize that the Italians killed Ivan and Andrei, as well as the cartel.
—Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
First government cooperating witness John is the first of six government cooperating witnesses to testify at the trial of four South Florida men charged with conspiring to kidnap and kill Haiti’s president.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
While the global economy has conspired for decades to bring down the cost of dolls and footballs, the biggest expenses of raising kids—childcare, summer camp, music lessons, babysitting, college tuition, health care—all suffer from Baumol’s cost disease.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, who were arrested on March 7 outside Gracie Mansion, were charged with eight crimes, including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction for the attack, federal prosecutors said.
—Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for conspire
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Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
First government cooperating witness John is the first of six government cooperating witnesses to testify at the trial of four South Florida men charged with conspiring to kidnap and kill Haiti’s president.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
While the global economy has conspired for decades to bring down the cost of dolls and footballs, the biggest expenses of raising kids—childcare, summer camp, music lessons, babysitting, college tuition, health care—all suffer from Baumol’s cost disease.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, who were arrested on March 7 outside Gracie Mansion, were charged with eight crimes, including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction for the attack, federal prosecutors said.
—Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for conspire
Cite this Entry
“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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
delays and the weather conspired to spoil our vacation
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