conspire

verb

con·​spire kən-ˈspī(-ə)r 

conspired; conspiring

transitive verb

: plot, contrive

intransitive verb

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

Synonyms

• collude
• compass
• connive
• contrive
• intrigue
• machinate
• plot
• put up
• scheme

Examples 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

Last week, a former Senior Adviser for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors was arrested on US charges of conspiring to steal government trade secrets to benefit China. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025

Veltri was leading the South Florida office when Trump was indicted in June 2023 on charges of withholding top secret documents from the U.S. government and conspiring with two of his Mar-a-Lago employees to obstruct efforts to retrieve them. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025

The indictment alleges that Mesa-Florez conspired to manufacture and distribute drugs including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019. —Pilar Arias, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2025

If convicted of his charges of conspiring to destroy an energy facility, Russell could face 20 years behind bars thanks to a prior conviction and the potential penalty for his current charges. —Ali Winston, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French conspirer, from Latin conspirare to be in harmony, conspire, from com- + spirare to breathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids 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

Legal Definition

conspire

intransitive verb

con·​spire kən-ˈspīr 

conspired; conspiring

: to join in a conspiracy compare solicit

Etymology

Latin conspirare to be in harmony, to join in an unlawful agreement, from com- together + spirare to breathe