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. OliphantSynonyms
Examples 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
Trump has repeatedly accused Bragg of pursuing the case for political gain, and has sought to tie the case to a broader accusation — without proof — that his political enemies have conspired to use the courts against him.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
In November 2021, Emma Coronel Aispuro was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering and conspiring to distribute cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana for import into the United States.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Two of the four counts the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee faces are conspiring to and actually obstructing the certification of the election, underscoring the stakes of the high-court review.
—Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The weather may yet conspire against me, and 3 or 4 minutes of totality will be lost under a ceiling of clouds.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Days after the Ding case was announced, prosecutors charged the owners of a Chinese company with conspiring to steal battery secrets from Tesla.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2024
This year has brought one huge change after another for Blanchard, who was released from prison in December of 2023 after serving eight years of her 10-year prison sentence for conspiring to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Vallow also conspired to kill Tammy Daybell, Chad's first wife, in October 2019.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Briggs said most of the videos showed the actions of co-defendants and were only relevant under the government’s theory that White conspired with the others.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
In November 2021, Emma Coronel Aispuro was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering and conspiring to distribute cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana for import into the United States.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Two of the four counts the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee faces are conspiring to and actually obstructing the certification of the election, underscoring the stakes of the high-court review.
—Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The weather may yet conspire against me, and 3 or 4 minutes of totality will be lost under a ceiling of clouds.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Days after the Ding case was announced, prosecutors charged the owners of a Chinese company with conspiring to steal battery secrets from Tesla.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2024
This year has brought one huge change after another for Blanchard, who was released from prison in December of 2023 after serving eight years of her 10-year prison sentence for conspiring to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Vallow also conspired to kill Tammy Daybell, Chad's first wife, in October 2019.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Briggs said most of the videos showed the actions of co-defendants and were only relevant under the government’s theory that White conspired with the others.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conspire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near conspire
Cite this Entry
“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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
measles and the weather conspired to spoil our vacation
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