1
as in Mafias
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake
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2
as in complicities
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose
a conspiracy among the leading manufacturers to fix prices
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3
as in schemes
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
several generals were engaged in a conspiracy to overthrow the government
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conspiracies
Trump has also repeatedly lashed out over the state’s incarceration of Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of state felonies related to her attempts to prove discredited election conspiracies shared by the president.
—
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.
—Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
What's the deal with Denver Airport's conspiracies?
—Hana Al-Khodairi, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Jan. 2026
In the old days, there were conspiracies about the moon landing.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
As frigid Cold War conspiracies start unfolding, they’re roped into becoming CIA operatives to help uncover what exactly happened to their partners.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 27 Dec. 2025
And executive privilege, even if invoked, would likely not apply to electoral conspiracies.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Their pleas on Monday in Fort Lauderdale federal court to wire-fraud conspiracies mark the latest developments in a three-year federal crackdown on about 50 private nursing school owners and associates in South Florida, with only two remaining as defendants facing trial in 2026.
—Jay Weaver
december 18, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
But other influencers are using the war as an opportunity to peddle antisemitic conspiracies.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.
—Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
What's the deal with Denver Airport's conspiracies?
—Hana Al-Khodairi, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Jan. 2026
In the old days, there were conspiracies about the moon landing.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
As frigid Cold War conspiracies start unfolding, they’re roped into becoming CIA operatives to help uncover what exactly happened to their partners.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 27 Dec. 2025
And executive privilege, even if invoked, would likely not apply to electoral conspiracies.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Their pleas on Monday in Fort Lauderdale federal court to wire-fraud conspiracies mark the latest developments in a three-year federal crackdown on about 50 private nursing school owners and associates in South Florida, with only two remaining as defendants facing trial in 2026.
—Jay Weaver
december 18, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
But other influencers are using the war as an opportunity to peddle antisemitic conspiracies.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracies
Noun
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
More than 90 people, most with ties to the state’s Somali community, have been charged in fraud schemes targeting social services.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
By 2001 coyotes were so much in the news in the Windy City that in that year Chicago homeowners listed them—not street gangs, not burglars, but coyotes—as the single greatest threat to their safety.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Cedre said Porter’s father was heavily involved with Compton gangs, but his mother worked tirelessly to help her son avoid that lifestyle — only for his life to end in gunfire anyway.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The two plots of land up for rezoning are near Anglin Circle and Enon Avenue.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Many gardeners grow herbs in their garden plots, raised beds, or in containers.—
Peg Aloi,
The Spruce,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Large healthcare networks rely on complex systems and third-party vendors, which can slow forensic analysis in the early stages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The bill would require large financial institutions to allow at least two credit card payment processing networks to be used on their card cards—and one of them cannot be Visa or Mastercard.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Dallas has hosted on Thanksgiving every year but two since 1966, and this latest matchup intrigues despite the mediocre records on both sides.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
25 Nov. 2025
-
If any of that intrigues you, perhaps add a Manukora manuka honey kit to your cart this season.—
Kate Kassin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Outside the capital, guerrilla groups and organized crime syndicates are exploiting the power vacuum along Venezuela’s borders and in its resource-rich interior.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Many of the scam compounds operating across Southeast Asia are run by Chinese crime syndicates.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel, Shadow Ticket, set in 1932 Milwaukee, takes place in a landscape of industrial ghosts, strike-breakers, fascist sympathizers and absurdist cabals.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
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With a story of secret cabals and a child born to rule, Dumont projects the nasty prejudices and bureaucratic rigors of local politics, the tangles of family allegiances, and the tender grunge of young lust into divine and diabolical clashes run from celestial and subterranean castles.—
JUSTIN CHANG,
New Yorker,
5 Dec. 2025
Noun
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For example, Crow people have held onto their nation's language; neighbors are often family, or considered such; and many tribal members rely on their clans to mentor children, who eventually become mentors themselves for the next generation.—
Katheryn Houghton,
NPR,
8 Jan. 2026
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But when Klaus’ toys begin to cheer up the children of Smeerensburg — a town whose inhabitants are perpetually engaged in a feud between two familial clans — Jesper and Klaus must step out of their comfort zones to help save the town from itself.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracies. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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