conspiracy

American  

[kuhn-spir-uh-see] / kənˈspɪr ə si /

noun

• conspiracies
  plural

1. the act of conspiring.

   Synonyms:

   sedition, collusion

2. an unlawful, harmful, or evil plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot.

3. a combination of persons for such an unlawful, harmful, or evil purpose.

   He joined the conspiracy to overthrow the government.

4. Law. an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act.

5. any concurrence in action; combination in bringing about a given result.

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conspiracy British  

/ kənˈspɪrəsɪ /

noun

1. a secret plan or agreement to carry out an illegal or harmful act, esp with political motivation; plot

2. the act of making such plans in secret

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Usage

What does conspiracy mean? Conspiracy most commonly means a secret plan by multiple people to do something evil or illegal. Conspiracy can also refer to the act of making such plans—the act of conspiring—or to the group making the plans. The people involved can be called conspirators. In a legal context, conspiracy refers to an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime. A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event that claims it was the result of a secret and often complex and evil plot by multiple people. 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. Both conspiracy and conspiracy theory are often used in the context of politics. Example: This isn’t the work of one man—it’s a conspiracy, and there are more people in on it than you think!

Synonym Usage

Conspiracy, plot, intrigue, cabal all refer to surreptitious or covert schemes to accomplish some end, most often an evil one. A conspiracy usually involves a group entering into a secret agreement to achieve some illicit or harmful objective: a vicious conspiracy to control prices. A plot is a carefully planned secret scheme, usually by a small number of persons, to secure sinister ends: a plot to seize control of a company. An intrigue usually involves duplicity and deceit aimed at achieving either personal advantage or criminal or treasonous objectives: the petty intrigues of civil servants. Cabal refers either to a plan by a small group of highly-placed persons to overthrow or control a government, or to the group of persons themselves: a cabal of powerful lawmakers.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• conspirator
  noun
• preconspiracy
  noun
• conspirative
  adjective
• conspiratorial
  adjective
• conspiratory
  adjective
• conspiratorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conspiracies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of conspiracy

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English conspiracie, probably from Anglo-French; see conspire, -acy; replacing Middle English conspiracioun; see conspiration

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Explanation

A conspiracy is a secret agreement between two or more people to commit an unlawful or harmful act. A person who believes that the government is secretly controlled by power brokers, in flagrant violation of the U.S. Constitution, is an example of a conspiracy theorist. Conspiracy can also refer to the act of planning an unlawful or harmful act: Terrorists might be accused of organizing a conspiracy to overthrow the government. Conspiracy is ultimately from Latin cōnspīrāre "to agree or plot together, literally to breathe together." The corresponding English verb is conspire.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conspiracy conspiracies

Officials in recent weeks privately acknowledged that the idea of tying disparate threads together in one big conspiracy isn’t practical, and have begun pursuing what they say are narrower but related criminal cases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

“This is not a conspiracy theory,” Essayli said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

But the now-defunct company couldn't deliver, Holmes was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for fraud and conspiracy, and her fall from grace is chronicled in the buzzy documentary "You Can See Everything."

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

The warrant reportedly lists conspiracy, false statements on immigration paperwork and immigration fraud.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Of course, Booth was gone, but they searched his trunk and discovered an incredible and mysterious letter to Booth signed only “Sam” that described a large conspiracy against the Union government.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Their obsession with loyalty and often-imagined conspiracies ended with purges of some of the UFW’s most dynamic leaders and organizing stagnation, even as field hands continued to labor under abysmal conditions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

The nation's spy chief, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess, warned last year politically motivated violence was among the agency's fastest growing security concerns, driven by "grievance narratives, conspiracies and online echo chambers".

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

If we lift the hood on some of these conspiracies, we can understand what people are really afraid of.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

The inquest also heard no evidence of third-party involvement or any link to loyalist paramilitaries, at odds with years of endless social media speculation that sometimes leaned into conspiracies.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

As late as January 1865, with the Confederacy in danger of collapse at any moment, not one of the conspiracies resulted in serious action against Abraham Lincoln.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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Related Words

• plot
• scheme
• sedition
• treason

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