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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of conspiracies
Aliens on the loose, serial killer investigations, family conspiracies, abusive cults, and robots gone rogue are just a few scenarios guaranteed to grab your attention and spike your blood pressure…and they all can be found on the list below.
—
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Peters long promoted conspiracies about the 2020 race, which former President Joe Biden won.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 1 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
Sheriff Griffin in North Carolina says many of these disaster tourists spread conspiracies and misinformation to help their videos go viral.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Peters long promoted conspiracies about the 2020 race, which former President Joe Biden won.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 1 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
Sheriff Griffin in North Carolina says many of these disaster tourists spread conspiracies and misinformation to help their videos go viral.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracies
Noun
-
Shakespeare’s comedies especially understand the joy of watching people get trapped in schemes and plots well beyond their control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
State regulators have suspended hundreds of hospice licenses amid allegations of fraudulent billing and phantom patient schemes.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Haiti remains in the grip of violent gangs despite recent gains in parts of Port-au-Prince.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
-
On the other side, De la Espriella has promised to fiercely crack down on criminal groups and build 10 megaprisons, following in a similar vein as El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, in his war on gangs, which has been beset by abuses, according to findings by human rights groups.—
Megan Janetsky,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Inside, the museum boasts a planetarium, giant-screen theater, exhibition zones, and landscaped outdoor teaching plots organized around regional species and observable plant phenomena.—
Bridget Borgobello
May 30,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
-
The main dining rooms look onto greenery and kitchen plots, and menus weave herbs, flowers and produce from the grounds together with ingredients from regional farms.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
These networks are viewed with less enthusiasm in the age of streaming, because more consumers are abandoning their cable subscriptions in favor of streaming services.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 June 2026
-
Most existing and proposed projects are clustered around major metropolitan areas where fiber-optic networks, power infrastructure and workforce needs can be met.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Instead, horses are often owned by sponsors, investors or syndicates.—
Danielle Rossingh,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
Criminal syndicates The consequences extend far beyond South America.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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
-
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
-
The auteur can now cross another genre off his bucket list with The Samurai and the Prisoner (Kokurojo), a stately and rather stagy historical mystery set during the 16th century, at a time when warring clans fought and outmaneuvered each other for control of the land.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
-
Our story begins in the winter of that year, as Murashige — along with his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and the small handful of clans loyal to their family — barricade themselves behind the peripets of Arioka Castle and wait for death to arrive at their doorstep.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracies. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
