What does conspire mean?
To conspire is to join secretly with others in planning something unlawful, harmful, or treacherous, making it one of English's most charged verbs for covert wrongdoing. A group that conspires acts in hidden concert, whether plotting a coup, fixing an outcome, or covering up a misdeed. The word also has a well-established figurative use: when a series of mishaps seems deliberately coordinated, we say that circumstances or fate have conspired against us, even though no human plotter exists. Grammatically, conspire is intransitive — people conspire against someone, with someone, or to do something — and its derivatives include conspiracy (the plot itself), conspirator (a participant), and conspiratorial (suggestive of secret plotting). Etymologically rich and dramatically resonant, the word evokes shadowy meetings and whispered plans, which is why it thrives in political commentary, thrillers, and everyday complaints about bad luck alike.
verbTo secretly plan with others to do something unlawful or harmful; more broadly, of events or circumstances, to combine or work together to produce a particular result.
- To make secret plans jointly with others to commit a harmful, unlawful, or treacherous act.
- (Of events or forces) to seem to combine coincidentally in producing a particular result, often an unfortunate one.
"The officials conspired to cover up the scandal."
"The rival executives conspired to drive their competitor out of business."
"It seemed as though fate itself had conspired against them: missed flights, lost luggage, and a sudden storm."
"Conspire" literally comes from the Latin for "breathing together" — conspirators were once thought of as people plotting so closely they shared the same breath.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of conspire
"Conspire" derives from the Latin conspirare, meaning literally "to breathe together" (com-, "together," plus spirare, "to breathe"), originally describing people acting or agreeing in unison. By extension it came to signify joining in a secret plot. The word entered English via Old French in the Middle Ages, with its sense of treasonous plotting firmly established by the 14th century. It shares its root spirare with words such as inspire, respire, and perspire.
Related word forms
How conspire is actually used
"Conspire" carries strongly negative connotations when used of people, implying secrecy and wrongdoing. The figurative sense — events or circumstances conspiring — is common and generally neutral or mildly humorous. The verb takes no direct object; it is followed by prepositions such as "against," "with," or by an infinitive ("conspired to seize power").
Easily confused with conspire
Aspire means to direct one's hopes toward achieving something noble or ambitious, while conspire means to plot secretly with others, usually for wrongful ends.