Conspiracy

//kənˈspəɹəsi// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An agreement or arrangement between multiple parties to do something harmful, immoral or subversive; an instance of collusion. countable, uncountable

    "Conspiracies, like all other exercises of human ingenuity, are of very different kinds. The gloomy plots arranged in old Italian halls..."

  2. 2
    a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act (especially a political plot) wordnet
  3. 3
    An agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act wordnet
  5. 5
    A secret agreement to do something. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "The former programme of the entertainments, which were to result from this generous conspiracy to assist a man whom fortune had buffeted, was eagerly looked for, not only for the reunion of old favorites that it promised to bring about, but out of sympathy for the sentiment which has prompted this graceful act of kindness."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    a group of conspirators banded together to achieve some harmful or illegal purpose wordnet
  2. 7
    An agreement to work together to bring something about; an act or instance of conspiring. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "But this I call civil life […] living [together] in good and politic order, one ever ready to do good to another, and as it were conspiring [together] in all virtue and honesty. […] You said right now that this civil life was a politic order and, as it were, a conspiracy in honesty and virtue, […]"

  3. 8
    A group of ravens. collective, countable, rare, uncountable
  4. 9
    A group of lemurs. collective, countable, rare, uncountable

    "Indeed, as I sat, forlorn, never having found my particular conspiracy of lemurs (how about that for a name for a group of lemurs? The name lemur itself comes from the Latin for “spirits of the dead”) …"

  5. 10
    A situation in which different phonological or grammatical rules lead to similar or related outcomes. countable, uncountable

    "That is, further exploration of phonological systems of various languages may turn up evidence motivating conspiracies that have been regarded thus far as impossible.[…]This study of labial palatalization conspiracy is a contribution to the 'too many solutions'/'too few data' problem."

  6. 11
    A conspiracy theory; a hypothesis alleging conspiracy. countable, proscribed, uncountable

    "Rather than propagating conspiracies about the evils of wealthy Jewry, they beat up poor Roma in back alleys."

Verb
  1. 1
    To conspire. proscribed, rare

    "He knew I would come for him when I discovered what he did, so he, he conspiracied to put me in prison."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English conspiracie, from Anglo-Norman conspiracie, from Latin cōnspīrātiō, from conspire + -acy.

Etymology 2

From Middle English conspiracie, from Anglo-Norman conspiracie, from Latin cōnspīrātiō, from conspire + -acy.

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