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.
Kellen has been described as an "assistant" to Epstein and was named as a possible "co-conspirator" when he made a plea deal before being jailed.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
His co-conspirator Mark Chavez was sentenced to house arrest.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
In that case, Bazaar was charged with stealing more than 1,800 wild turtles from Florida streams, selling them to a co-conspirator specializing in the Asian pet market for more than $550,000.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
He told the committee about his relationship with Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, which he said began in 2004 and lasted till 2010.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
“You’re a wonderful co-conspirator, Marion, and you helped me escape tonight. What’s most important are the new facts of the investigation.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
