conspire

[kuhn-spahyuhr]

verb (used without object)

conspired, conspiring 

1. to agree together, especially secretly, to do something wrong, evil, or illegal.

   They conspired to kill the king.

   Synonyms: intrigue, complot

2. to act or work together toward the same result or goal.

   The wind and rain conspired to strip the trees of their fall color.

   Synonyms: cooperate, concur, combine

verb (used with object)

conspired, conspiring 

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

conspire

/ kənˈspaɪə /

verb

1. to plan or agree on (a crime or harmful act) together in secret

2. (intr) to act together towards some end as if by design

   the elements conspired to spoil our picnic

Other Word Forms

• conspiringly adverb
• conspirer noun
• nonconspiring adjective
• preconspire verb
• unconspired adjective
• unconspiring adjective
• unconspiringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of conspire¹

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”; con-, spirant, spirit

Word History and Origins

Origin of conspire¹

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

Synonym Study

See plot.

Example Sentences

"Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America," he wrote.

From BBC

The US president, who did not attend, took to his social media platform and accused President Xi of conspiring against the US with Russia and North Korea.

From BBC

He was indicted on a charge of conspiring to impede a federal officer last week.

From Los Angeles Times

However, wing Lydia Thompson's first-half red card and the New Zealand Black Ferns' magic under the Eden Park lights conspired to spirit the trophy away.

From BBC

He pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and being an illegal agent of a foreign government.

From BBC

Related Words

• collude 
• connive 
• cooperate 

When To Use

What does conspire mean?

Conspire commonly means to secretly plan with multiple other people to do something wrong, evil, or illegal.Such a plan is called a conspiracy. 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 conspiring to commit a crime.Conspire can also mean to act together to achieve some result. This use often likens inanimate objects to people engaging in a conspiracy, as in I was on time until the traffic and the weather conspired to make me late. Example: In the movie, supervillains conspire to steal all of the world’s bananas.