conspire

verb

kən-ˈspī(-ə)r How to pronounce conspire (audio)
Definition of conspirenext
1
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends conspired to replace the leader with someone more easily influenced

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to cooperate
to participate or assist in a joint effort to accomplish an end foul weather and airline foul-ups seemed to be conspiring to ruin our vacation

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 conspire Rivas was indicted in the Southern District of Texas in December 2025 on charges of conspiring to provide and providing material support to Tren de Aragua. — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 He was later arrested on state charges of possessing a weapon of mass destruction for an act of terrorism and conspiring to or making a bomb threat. — Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 Ansariy is charged with conspiring to and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026 In the centuries since, some scholars have theorized that powerful relatives and political rivals conspired to have Báthory imprisoned for their own benefit. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conspire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspire
  1. plot
  2. cooperate
  3. scheme
  4. collaborate
  5. unite
Verb
  • Years ago, William had plotted to pollute the the ley lines — the source of all witches and warlocks’ magical powers — which was foiled by a Mary, Graves and their coven sister Tamora (Keegan Connor Tracy).
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Jair Bolsonaro is now serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest after being convicted of plotting to overturn that election and prevent Lula from taking office.
    — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of plot
Verb
  • Paradoxically, status-seeking can also promote equality, when cooperating to gain status diffuses status throughout the community.
    — Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but the countries have long cooperated on security and intelligence matters through alternative channels.
    — DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of cooperate
Verb
  • Retaliation is not unheard of in higher education and fear of scheming colleagues is common.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • To this day, third-party researchers continue to uncover more evidence of how OpenAI's models were secretly scheming and developing ways to hack Hugging Face.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of scheme
Verb
  • Food and drink It only made sense for Hotel 28 Myeongdong to collaborate with a restaurant as proudly Korean as its founder.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Roberts collaborated with renowned flute player Katisse Buckingham, who played jazz flute and Tim Loo, who assembled a group of musicians.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of collaborate
Verb
  • By uniting Eastern cultural references, uncompromising craftsmanship, and conscious sustainability, Songmont continues to cultivate a distinct cultural identity and voice on the global stage.
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The merger will also unite two of the five biggest Hollywood studios; dozens of television channels; and two of the biggest US TV news divisions, CNN and CBS News.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of unite

Browse Nearby Words

conspirators
conspire
conspired
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspire. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All