conspired; conspiring
Synonyms of conspire

intransitive verb

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

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
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.
In 2022, Ibrahim Aksakal was convicted and sentenced to 27 months in prison for conspiring to health-care and wire fraud. Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 June 2026 That initial ruling also triggered a furious response from her nationalist allies at home and abroad, feeding an anti-establishment narrative of an elite conspiring to shut them out. Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 7 July 2026 Plots and machinations have been set in motion in King’s Landing as well, where Alicent conspires against her own sons, sending Aemond out of the city and paving the way for Rhaenyra to take the city. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 Gurinderjit Singh, who authorities identified as a police chief, allegedly then falsely accused the victim, the victim’s father and sister of conspiring to commit murder in India. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for conspire

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French conspirer, from Latin conspirare to be in harmony, conspire, from com- + spirare to breathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of conspire was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

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

Legal Definition

conspire

intransitive verb
conspired; conspiring
: to join in a conspiracy compare solicit
Etymology

Latin conspirare to be in harmony, to join in an unlawful agreement, from com- together + spirare to breathe

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