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
The montage named leaders including former Iranian prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh, former Bolivian president Juan Torres, and former Chilean president Salvador Allende, pairing their photos with captions accusing the CIA of conspiring to overthrow them.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 Apr. 2026
The correctional officer, Jesus Reyes, was charged with conspiring to sell drugs, possessing drugs for sale and transporting drugs across county lines.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
In November 2022, Northington conspired with two other Baltimore men — Devin Grimes, 27, and John Hyman, 21 — to commit armed robberies at at least one armed carjacking, according to court documents.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
For better or for worse, the Supreme Court has clarified how — and how not — to prosecute public officials caught corruptly conspiring with favor-granting and clout-heavy players, as ComEd was during that era.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for conspire
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.
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 Apr. 2026
The correctional officer, Jesus Reyes, was charged with conspiring to sell drugs, possessing drugs for sale and transporting drugs across county lines.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
In November 2022, Northington conspired with two other Baltimore men — Devin Grimes, 27, and John Hyman, 21 — to commit armed robberies at at least one armed carjacking, according to court documents.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
For better or for worse, the Supreme Court has clarified how — and how not — to prosecute public officials caught corruptly conspiring with favor-granting and clout-heavy players, as ComEd was during that era.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 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 21 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
