conspirator

[kuhn-spir-uh-ter]

noun

1. a person who takes part in a conspiracy; plotter.

   Synonyms: conniver, schemer, traitor

Other Word Forms

• nonconspirator noun
• preconspirator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conspirator¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English conspiratour, from Anglo-French, from Latin conspīrātor, from conspīrā(tus) “united, acted in harmony” (past participle of conspīrāre; conspire ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

“The conspirators behind this will not be spared,” he said in public remarks.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"The committee is seeking to uncover the identities of Mr Epstein's co conspirators and enablers and to understand the full extent of his criminal operations," the letter read.

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The beauty of a conspiracy charge is that it requires little more than two alleged conspirators.

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According to the indictment, Rozier let the gambling conspirators know that he would take himself out of the game early, allowing them to profit from bets that his stats would fall short of bookmakers’ expectations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That person would pass it on via cellphone to someone at the table known as the “Quarterback” or “Driver,” who would use predetermined signals to alert the other conspirators.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accomplice 
• collaborator 
• plotter 
• traitor 

When To Use

What does conspirator mean?

A conspirator is someone engaged in a conspiracy—a secret plan by multiple people to do something evil or illegal.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 fellow conspirator—a conspirator conspiring with one or more other conspirators in a conspiracy. But, by itself, the word conspirator always implies that there are multiple people involved—there is never a single conspirator.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 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 isn’t the work of one man—it’s a conspiracy, and there are more conspirators than you think!