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
But other influencers are using the war as an opportunity to peddle antisemitic conspiracies.
—
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Theories about this abound—all have their evidentiary shortcomings—but Greenblatt agrees with a common one that sees Marlowe traveling to France and uncovering Catholic conspiracies against the Crown.
—Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
The list of debunks goes on and on and on; moon landing conspiracies, however, have remained persistently popular among some, even inspiring last year’s Fly Me to the Moon starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.
—Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Rudy, along with his boss, Bruiser, and her disheveled paralegal, Deck, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
These participants, who, like those in our COVID-19 study, prioritized a symbolic show of strength, were more likely to believe in other kinds of misinformation and conspiracies, too, such as that the government is concealing evidence of alien contact.
—Abraham Rutchick, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Yet the hyperactive news cycle demands everyone create some kind of schema for figuring out what’s going on, and our era is typified with crackpot right-wing conspiracies that fill that void.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Following a six-week trial last fall, CTJ and Si Oh Rhew were found guilty of two conspiracies and multiple counts of failure to file reports of currency transactions.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Federal prosecutors charged Cannon-Grant with three distinct conspiracies.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Theories about this abound—all have their evidentiary shortcomings—but Greenblatt agrees with a common one that sees Marlowe traveling to France and uncovering Catholic conspiracies against the Crown.
—Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
The list of debunks goes on and on and on; moon landing conspiracies, however, have remained persistently popular among some, even inspiring last year’s Fly Me to the Moon starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.
—Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Rudy, along with his boss, Bruiser, and her disheveled paralegal, Deck, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
These participants, who, like those in our COVID-19 study, prioritized a symbolic show of strength, were more likely to believe in other kinds of misinformation and conspiracies, too, such as that the government is concealing evidence of alien contact.
—Abraham Rutchick, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Yet the hyperactive news cycle demands everyone create some kind of schema for figuring out what’s going on, and our era is typified with crackpot right-wing conspiracies that fill that void.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Following a six-week trial last fall, CTJ and Si Oh Rhew were found guilty of two conspiracies and multiple counts of failure to file reports of currency transactions.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Federal prosecutors charged Cannon-Grant with three distinct conspiracies.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracies
Noun
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The new season finds the Shazam moving company battling corporate giant Zenithon Logistics, while Everett (Jae) drags the team through increasingly desperate schemes such as insurance scams, bogus grant applications and a basement AirBnb conversion gone wrong.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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The company now has a consumer alert on its website warning visitors of such schemes.—
Emily Lorsch,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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An IndyStar investigation, which is based on interviews with four dozen people, including current and former inmates, their families and former employees, found Miami Correctional is constantly beset by violence fueled by gangs and drugs.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Nov. 2025
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While a decade ago the majority of knife crime perpetrated by young people was related to gangs, this is no longer the case, James Alexander, an associate enterprise fellow in criminology at London Metropolitan University, told CNN.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The €25 million (about $27 million) glass-and-stone residence, part coastal hideaway, part statement about where the island’s luxury market is headed, sprawls across three levels on two hillside plots.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
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There are also 10 plots in Montparnasse cemetery, home to writers Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Susan Sontag, as well as 10 more in Montmartre cemetery, where painter Edgar Degas, author Émile Zola and dancer Vaslav Nijinsky are all buried.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Beyond tools and workflow organization, FinBursa’s marketplace is designed to enable professionals to expand their networks organically.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Linking quantum computers to create powerful, high-speed quantum networks involves entangling atoms through a fiber cable.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Both of those were fine, and Conclave got a boost from the camp potential of its Vatican intrigues, but this new movie suggests that Berger isn’t capable of rising above his source material or, in this case, even meeting it.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
His firepower for short stints on the mound intrigues the Rockies.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Such crackdowns attract notice from Boswell, who detects a civilian ally in his fight against local syndicates.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
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Elon Musk’s SpaceX has disabled more than 2,500 Starlink devices in and around scam centers in Myanmar, following warnings from activists that mainly Chinese syndicates were using the technology to defraud people worldwide.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The twilight of empire was also a time of conspiracy theories about international Jewish cabals, said to manipulate power through money and shadowy networks in order to rule the world.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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But Gaza is home to numerous clans and militant groups, with score-settling and criminality posing a threat to order in the Palestinian enclave, even after the ceasefire.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracies. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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