conspire

verb

con·​spire kən-ˈspī(-ə)r How to pronounce conspire (audio)
conspired; conspiring
Synonyms of conspirenext

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.
Now, he's pardoned all of these people, despite the fact that they were convicted of violently assaulting police officers, conspiring to overthrow the government of the United States in seditious conspiracy, and so on. ABC News, 17 May 2026 He was expected to appear in a New York federal courtroom on Friday on six terrorism charges, including six terrorism charges in New York, including conspiring to provide material support to terrorist groups. Louis Casiano , Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026 Bell already owned a chunk of Sphere Media, which in turn owned a majority in Sphere Abacus, and with Bell the new owner, fate had now conspired around Heated Rivalry. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 May 2026 Trump groused last year about a massive military parade Xi hosted with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, accusing them of conspiring against America. Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 14 May 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 20 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

conspire

verb
con·​spire kən-ˈspī(ə)r How to pronounce conspire (audio)
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
con·​spire kən-ˈspīr How to pronounce conspire (audio)
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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