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
Victoria, 32, was arrested March 6 on charges of solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit murder, according to Clark County inmate records.
—
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Victoria, 32, has been charged with solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
Victoria Goodwin, 32, was being held in the Clark County Detention Center on charges of solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy murder.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
The first trial ended with a hung jury and the second with the couple’s convictions on a wire-fraud conspiracy and related charges.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 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.
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Victoria, 32, has been charged with solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
Victoria Goodwin, 32, was being held in the Clark County Detention Center on charges of solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy murder.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
The first trial ended with a hung jury and the second with the couple’s convictions on a wire-fraud conspiracy and related charges.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 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 17 Mar. 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