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
That’s what puts us in the bad position of believing in conspiracies.
—
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Various media watchers have criticized One America News Network for airing false stories and conspiracies as news.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
But the nature of conspiracies has not.
—Derek Arnold, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors accused Peters of stealing a Mesa County employee's security badge to help a man gain access to the county's voter systems to prove false conspiracies about the validity of the 2020 election results.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
There is obviously a lot more going on, so leave your conspiracies and guesses to yourselves.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
There are real conspiracies, and not every powerful entity has our best interests in mind.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Here’s Bianco on social media not long ago, once again definitely not espousing partisan voter conspiracies.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The drumbeat of Christian war imagery has ignited dangerous conspiracies about Jews, such as Tucker Carlson’s contention that the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Judaism secretly started the war.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Various media watchers have criticized One America News Network for airing false stories and conspiracies as news.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
But the nature of conspiracies has not.
—Derek Arnold, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors accused Peters of stealing a Mesa County employee's security badge to help a man gain access to the county's voter systems to prove false conspiracies about the validity of the 2020 election results.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
There is obviously a lot more going on, so leave your conspiracies and guesses to yourselves.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
There are real conspiracies, and not every powerful entity has our best interests in mind.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Here’s Bianco on social media not long ago, once again definitely not espousing partisan voter conspiracies.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The drumbeat of Christian war imagery has ignited dangerous conspiracies about Jews, such as Tucker Carlson’s contention that the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Judaism secretly started the war.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracies
Noun
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Madigan, meanwhile, was convicted in a separate trial of an array of schemes that included the ComEd bribery payments.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Butterfly Jam revolves around a teenager growing up in New Jersey’s Circassian community, with dreams of becoming a wrestler, whose life takes an unexpected turn when one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Scypion’s killing was linked to a feud between East Contra Costa gangs known as Midtown and the Hard Body Gang.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Six people died and 12 more were injured in what prosecutors have alleged was a standoff between two gangs.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that new legislation would be introduced to address violent plots that aren’t considered terrorism.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Even basic additions that followed, such as mushrooms and sweet peppers, sprang from secret plots.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After a casino owner turned TV star first became President of the United States, media networks further beefed up their political coverage by treating it like entertainment, amplifying juicy play-by-plays over granular dissections of policy.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Klose professionalized the leadership structure and established more competitive pay for the networks' hosts.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Plus the balcony is useful for intrigues and gossiping about the people below, as seen at Lady Danbury’s ball in season one of Bridgerton.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Roshanara became Aurangzeb’s informant, keeping him apprised of court intrigues and politics.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The criminal syndicates refitted their properties as centres where teams of workers – often trafficked and coerced – run online scams at scale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Apr. 2026
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Caleb Davies, another Kalshi trader who has earned $389,000 in culture markets over the past two years, says that the absence of financial organizations or syndicates of traders with big money allows knowledgeable traders to profit off of people who simply bet on their faves.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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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In mid-July, armed groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans, spurring intervention by government forces who effectively sided with the Bedouins.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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For almost as long, these two clans have also been intimate friends (and relations) of the Pelosi family.—
James Reginato,
Vanity Fair,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracies. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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