conspiracy
noun
con·spir·a·cy
kən-ˈspir-ə-sē 
plural conspiracies
1
: the act of conspiring together
They were accused of conspiracy to commit murder.
2
a
: an agreement among conspirators
uncovered a conspiracy against the government
b
: a group of conspirators
a conspiracy made up of disgruntled aristocrats
see also conspiracy theory
Examples of conspiracy in a Sentence
The CIA uncovered a conspiracy against the government.
They were accused of conspiracy to commit murder.
Recent Examples on the Web
Russell Jones entered a no-contest plea to conspiracy to commit murder.
—
Natalie Morales, Richard Fetzer, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2025
He also is found guilty of first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
—Todd Pendleton, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
The four were convicted on two counts each of kidnapping and robbery and one count each of conspiracy to kidnap for ransom.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025
As the show’s ever-ballooning case and central conspiracy come barreling toward their final reveals, the penultimate episode takes us there via fast, nimble strides along its own axis of pulp and realism in the broader crime genre.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conspiracy
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Natalie Morales, Richard Fetzer, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2025
He also is found guilty of first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
—Todd Pendleton, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
The four were convicted on two counts each of kidnapping and robbery and one count each of conspiracy to kidnap for ransom.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025
As the show’s ever-ballooning case and central conspiracy come barreling toward their final reveals, the penultimate episode takes us there via fast, nimble strides along its own axis of pulp and realism in the broader crime genre.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conspiracy
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspiracy. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conspiracy
noun
con·spir·a·cy
kən-ˈspir-ə-sē
plural conspiracies
1
: the act of conspiring together
2
a
: an agreement among conspirators
b
: a group of conspirators
Legal Definition
conspiracy
noun
con·spir·a·cy
kən-ˈspir-ə-sē
plural conspiracies
1
: an agreement between two or more people to commit an act prohibited by law or to commit a lawful act by means prohibited by law
also
: the crime or tort of participating in a conspiracy compare substantive crime
Note: Some states require an overt act in addition to the agreement to constitute conspiracy.
—
chain conspiracy
: a conspiracy in which the conspirators act separately and successively (as in distributing narcotics)
—
civil conspiracy
: a conspiracy that is not prosecuted as a crime but that forms the grounds for a lawsuit
—
criminal conspiracy
: a conspiracy prosecuted as a crime
2
: a group of conspirators
Etymology
Latin conspiratio, from conspirare to conspire see conspire
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share