conspire
verb
con·spire
kən-ˈspī(-ə)r 
conspired; conspiring
1
a
: to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or an act which becomes unlawful as a result of the secret agreement
accused of conspiring to overthrow the government
conspired to monopolize and restrict trade
b
: scheme
2
: to act in harmony toward a common end
Circumstances conspired to defeat his efforts.
… the sun and the wind conspired to make splinters out of solid wood.—
B. J. Oliphant
B. J. OliphantExamples of conspire in a Sentence
conspired to replace the leader with someone more easily influenced
foul weather and airline foul-ups seemed to be conspiring to ruin our vacation
Recent Examples on the Web
Prosecutors are accusing Vallow Daybell of conspiring with her late brother, Alex Cox, to murder her late husband, Charles Vallow, to benefit from a $1 million life insurance policy and marry another man, Chad Daybell, in 2019.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Prosecutors told jurors the brothers were lying and had conspired to kill their parents with shotguns purchased two days earlier in San Diego using false identification.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2025
He was accused of conspiring to smuggle microelectronics from U.S. distributors to Moscow as part of a Russian procurement network that supplies manufacturers for the Kremlin’s military.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 10 Apr. 2025
Prosecutors accuse Vallow Daybell of conspiring with her late brother, Alex Cox, to murder her husband, Charles Vallow, in 2019 to benefit from a $1 million life insurance policy and marry another man, Chad Daybell.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conspire
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Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Prosecutors told jurors the brothers were lying and had conspired to kill their parents with shotguns purchased two days earlier in San Diego using false identification.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2025
He was accused of conspiring to smuggle microelectronics from U.S. distributors to Moscow as part of a Russian procurement network that supplies manufacturers for the Kremlin’s military.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 10 Apr. 2025
Prosecutors accuse Vallow Daybell of conspiring with her late brother, Alex Cox, to murder her husband, Charles Vallow, in 2019 to benefit from a $1 million life insurance policy and marry another man, Chad Daybell.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conspire
Cite this Entry
“Conspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspire. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conspire
verb
con·spire
kən-ˈspī(ə)r
conspired; conspiring
1
: to agree secretly to do an unlawful act : plot
conspiring to overthrow the dictator
2
: to act together
delays and the weather conspired to spoil our vacation
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