conspire

[ kuhn-spahyuhr ]

See synonyms for: conspire conspired conspiring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),con·spired, con·spir·ing.

to agree together, especially secretly, to do something wrong, evil, or illegal: They conspired to kill the king.
to act or work together toward the same result or goal: The wind and rain conspired to strip the trees of their fall color.

verb (used with object),con·spired, con·spir·ing.

to plot (something wrong, evil, or illegal).

Origin of conspire

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French conspirer, from Latin conspīrāre “to act in harmony, conspire,” equivalent to con- + spīrāre “to breathe”; see origin at con-, spirant, spirit

synonym study For conspire

1. See plot.

Other words for conspire

1	complot, intrigue
2	combine, concur, cooperate

See synonyms for conspire on Thesaurus.com

Other words from conspire

con·spir·er, noun
con·spir·ing·ly, adverb
non·con·spir·ing, adjective
pre·con·spire, verb, pre·con·spired, pre·con·spir·ing.
un·con·spired, adjective
un·con·spir·ing, adjective
un·con·spir·ing·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with conspire

connive, conspire

Words Nearby conspire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conspire in a sentence

There, they noted how stray molecules of water could conspire with salty ingredients in the dirt to create literally earth-shattering effects.
Mars’s mascara-like streaks may be caused by slush and landslides | Charlie Wood | February 3, 2021 | Popular-Science
Those unschooled in the nuances of modern finance might be forgiven for thinking that a bunch of investors openly conspiring to drive up the price of stocks with the aim to profit from it is a case of market manipulation that ought to be illegal.
GameStop mania exposes SEC’s failure as regulator | Steven Pearlstein | January 30, 2021 | Washington Post
In September, prosecutors filed charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which can bring a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Global Right-Wing Extremism Networks Are Growing. The U.S. Is Just Now Catching Up. | by Sebastian Rotella | January 22, 2021 | ProPublica
The charges filed against Gieswein on Saturday do not include accusations that he conspired with others to attack Congress.
FBI probes possible connections between extremist groups at heart of Capitol violence | Devlin Barrett, Spencer Hsu | January 19, 2021 | Washington Post
The proportions of your limbs, the stiffness of your tendons, and your movement history all conspire to make your knees unique.
There’s a New Way to Choose the Right Running Shoe | Alex Hutchinson | January 5, 2021 | Outside Online

The girls very much wanted to conspire with me to make that happen.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Naomi Foner on What It Means to Be ‘Very Good Girls’ | Jamie Lee Curtis | July 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But ill-considered personal choices and the accidents of history always seemed to conspire against Marrero.
Havana Bids Adios to Conrado Marrero, MLB’s Oldest Player | Peter C. Bjarkman | April 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They plot, conspire and work hand-in-hand toward the common goal of Jewish domination.
Pinkwashing: Another Conspiracy Theory | Alan M. Dershowitz | March 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Steve Jobs and now Tim Cook did not conspire to undermine American labor and underpay Chinese workers.
Latest Record Results Show Apple a Bigger Global Power Than Most Nations | Zachary Karabell | April 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Later, when they venture out, rain and fog conspire to limit their view, even in unfamiliar surroundings.
Must Read Novels: Ballard, Dybek, and Krasznahorkai | Jacob Silverman, Malcolm Forbes, John McIntyre | April 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The claims of its glorious Object, its own essential nature, and its design, all conspire in this.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
All shall conspire in favour of the church, which in the following verse is called Jezrahel, that is, the seed of God.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
The enemy hates him bitterly, and would welcome an opportunity, would even conspire, to hang him.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
About that time he began to conspire with a view to restore the son of Queen Isabella.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 | Various
Theologians tell and repeat to us that man is free, while all their teachings conspire to destroy his liberty.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean Meslier

British Dictionary definitions for conspire

conspire

/ (kənˈspaɪə) /

verb(when intr, sometimes foll by against)

to plan or agree on (a crime or harmful act) together in secret
(intr) to act together towards some end as if by design: the elements conspired to spoil our picnic

Origin of conspire

C14: from Old French conspirer, from Latin conspīrāre to plot together, literally: to breathe together, from spīrāre to breathe

Derived forms of conspire

conspirer, noun
conspiringly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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