conspire
verb
con·spire
kən-ˈspī(-ə)r 
conspired; conspiring
1
a
: to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or an act which becomes unlawful as a result of the secret agreement
accused of conspiring to overthrow the government
conspired to monopolize and restrict trade
b
: scheme
2
: to act in harmony toward a common end
Circumstances conspired to defeat his efforts.
… the sun and the wind conspired to make splinters out of solid wood.—
B. J. Oliphant
B. J. OliphantExamples of conspire in a Sentence
conspired to replace the leader with someone more easily influenced
foul weather and airline foul-ups seemed to be conspiring to ruin our vacation
Recent Examples on the Web
Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, were each charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to a DOJ news release.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 7 June 2026
The power dynamic shifts, the goals change, sometimes events conspire to keep them together; but somehow the connection between them is altered such that the two can’t go back to the way things were before, but also cannot stop caring about each other.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
Bring that forth to the world because the universe will conspire to find use for you.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
The 23-year-old conspired with other Kiccdoe gang members to carry out two drive-by shootings, according to the release.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for conspire
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Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 7 June 2026
The power dynamic shifts, the goals change, sometimes events conspire to keep them together; but somehow the connection between them is altered such that the two can’t go back to the way things were before, but also cannot stop caring about each other.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
Bring that forth to the world because the universe will conspire to find use for you.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
The 23-year-old conspired with other Kiccdoe gang members to carry out two drive-by shootings, according to the release.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for conspire
Cite this Entry
“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conspire
verb
con·spire
kən-ˈspī(ə)r
conspired; conspiring
1
: to agree secretly to do an unlawful act : plot
conspiring to overthrow the dictator
2
: to act together
delays and the weather conspired to spoil our vacation
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