# conspire

/kənˈspaɪɝ/ (US) · /kənspˈaɪə/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/conspire
Updated: 2026-05-25

## Definition

to secretly plan to do something, especially something illegal or harmful. It can also mean that several things happen together to cause a specific result.

For teachers: to act in secret to commit an illegal or harmful act; alternatively, to act in a way that produces a specific, often negative, result. Often used intransitively with 'against' or 'to'.

## Examples

- The two companies conspired to fix the prices of their products.
- The heavy rain and the broken bridge conspired to make the journey to the mountain village nearly impossible.
- While the two rivals were known to have conspired against the king, the actual execution of the plot was carried out by a third party acting in the shadows.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.