co-conspirator

American  

[koh-kuhn-spir-uh-ter] / ˌkoʊ kənˈspɪr ə tər /

Or coconspirator

noun

1. a fellow conspirator; associate or collaborator in a conspiracy.

---

Usage

What does co-conspirator mean? A co-conspirator is a fellow conspirator—someone engaged in a secret plan by multiple people to do something evil or illegal. Such a plan is called a conspiracy. The word conspiracy can also refer to the act of making such plans—the act of conspiring—or to the group making the plans. In a legal context, conspiracy refers to an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime. In any of these cases, the people involved can be called conspirators. The word co-conspirator refers to a conspirator conspiring with one or more other conspirators in the same conspiracy. By itself, the word conspirator always implies that there are multiple people involved—there is never a single conspirator. Technically, the phrase fellow co-conspirator is redundant, since co-conspirator means the same thing as fellow conspirator. A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event that says it was the result of a secret and often complex and evil plot by multiple co-conspirators. People who promote or formulate conspiracy theories often reject the standard or accepted explanation of unexplained or unusual events and claim that they are the doing of evil conspirators secretly conspiring behind the scenes. Example: This proves that the crime wasn’t the work of one man—it was carried out by several co-conspirators who are now under arrest.

Etymology

Origin of co-conspirator

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

"Neither Claire Huxtable or Phylicia Rashad are responsible for Bill Cosby's actions. She was his co worker and employee not his supervisor or co conspirator in his crimes," one user wrote.

From Fox News • May 10, 2021

Related Words

• aide
• associate
• collaborator
• conspirator