conspiracy

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a belief that a secret, powerful group is responsible for an event.

n. a hypothesis or belief alleging that a secret group is responsible for a specific event or situation; frequently used as a shorthand for 'conspiracy theory'.

“He spent all night reading a conspiracy about how the moon landing was fake.”

“The rise of social media has accelerated the spread of various conspiracies regarding global health initiatives and government surveillance.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Linguistics Technical · Academic

n. when different rules in a language lead to the same result.

n. a situation in which different phonological or grammatical rules within a language produce similar or related phonetic outcomes.

“The professor explained how a conspiracy of sound changes led to the loss of the final vowel.”

“In generative phonology, a conspiracy occurs when several distinct rules appear to be motivated by a single surface-level constraint.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary

n. the special name for a group of ravens or lemurs.

n. a collective noun used specifically for a group of ravens or, less commonly, lemurs.

“A conspiracy of ravens gathered in the old oak tree as the sun set.”

“The poet used the term 'a conspiracy of lemurs' to evoke a sense of mystery and secret communication among the forest creatures.”