1
as in Mafias
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Eight people were indicted for allegedly being involved in conspiracies to threaten university leaders, law enforcement officials and businesses.
—
Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 13 June 2026
The film references popular alien conspiracies such as Roswell and Nixon-Gleason, suggesting that there is perhaps some truth to them.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
The news couldn't have come at a more opportune time, as the world is seemingly on the brink of nuclear war for reasons completely unrelated to the alien conspiracies at the heart of the film.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
They were united by paranoia, and their quest to protect the American dream by exposing conspiracies and secrets that the powers-that-be would rather stayed hidden.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 June 2026
Anti-Semitism is built on conspiracies and contradictions that take time for an observer to unravel.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
The former clerk had become the face of election conspiracies and attempts to undermine voting systems, Cutter said.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
Much of it is familiar, echoing the conspiracies of the COVID pandemic, such as false claims about the drug ivermectin being known to effectively treat the infection and vaccines causing the outbreak.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
In Russia, indulging in such conspiracies is often less an exercise in political prediction than an expression of deeper anxieties that can be otherwise hard to express.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 13 June 2026
The film references popular alien conspiracies such as Roswell and Nixon-Gleason, suggesting that there is perhaps some truth to them.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
The news couldn't have come at a more opportune time, as the world is seemingly on the brink of nuclear war for reasons completely unrelated to the alien conspiracies at the heart of the film.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
They were united by paranoia, and their quest to protect the American dream by exposing conspiracies and secrets that the powers-that-be would rather stayed hidden.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 June 2026
Anti-Semitism is built on conspiracies and contradictions that take time for an observer to unravel.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
The former clerk had become the face of election conspiracies and attempts to undermine voting systems, Cutter said.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
Much of it is familiar, echoing the conspiracies of the COVID pandemic, such as false claims about the drug ivermectin being known to effectively treat the infection and vaccines causing the outbreak.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
In Russia, indulging in such conspiracies is often less an exercise in political prediction than an expression of deeper anxieties that can be otherwise hard to express.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracies
Noun
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Indeed, despite the appearance of calm, gangs were actively battling for territory in parts of the capital during the visit.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
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Eaton testified that the men were involved in rival gangs — G-Mobb in south Sacramento, Garden Blocc Crips in North Sacramento and others that have battled over the decades — and crossed paths with deadly consequences at 10th and K streets.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Netflix announced a second melodrama last December, about the secrets and intrigues of an elite Rio de Janeiro family, created in partnership with Amaia Produções and Conspiração, with general direction by Mauro Mendonça Filho.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 May 2026
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The rich textures and thick ambiance of The Eyes of Others are pure high modernist 1960s Italian cinema, but De Sica unfurls the film’s winding intrigues with a contemporary sense of suspense, carnality, and visual boldness.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to the police report, a woman also reportedly claimed to be a victim of one of Chen's check-cashing schemes, alleging that she was scammed out of $40,000 after Chen wrote her bad checks from a man's account, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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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,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Growing counter-drone demand The Australian contract comes as militaries worldwide increase investment in layered counter-UAS networks.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
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The company has been pursuing eliminating its entire legacy copper landline system across the state to replace it with advanced fiber optic networks.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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More action means more to unpack, like incestuous bloodlines, secret plots that have been years in the making, the rapidly shifting alliances, and how to tell all the silver-haired Targaryens apart.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
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When some of your books have been adapted to film or television, the plots have often gone off in whole different directions.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Alongside that, South Africa’s police force has been embroiled in scandal, accused of corruption and collusion with criminal syndicates.—
Michelle Gumede,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
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Applying terrorism designations to criminal syndicates, Brazilian officials say, conflicts with domestic legal definitions and risks blurring distinctions underpinning international counterterrorism law.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
1 June 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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The event consists of live music, competition events such as highland dancing and sheepdog trials, food vendors and educational classes on what Scottish clans are.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
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Publishers Coolabi Group and Chinese online giant Tencent Video have greenlit the series, adapted from Erin Hunter’s novels about battling clans of feral cats, which have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracies. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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