co-conspirator
Americannoun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The money was sent to multiple accounts controlled by an unnamed co-conspirator, according to the indictment.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
An alleged co-conspirator, CJ Evins, also faces the same counts.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
"Does that include all of the co-conspirator memos, the corporate protection memos, the original Palm Beach Police Department reports, etc.?"
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
The co-conspirator is played by Tyler Okonma, aka the rap artist Tyler, the Creator.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
“And you’re just going to sit there! Let my mother decide what’s right?” he shouted, as if I were a co-conspirator who had turned traitor.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
