conspiring Hear it!

Variant of conspire

conspire Definition

con·spire (kən spīr′)

intransitive verb conspired -·spired′, conspiring -·spir′·ing

  1. to plan and act together secretly, esp. in order to commit a crime
  2. to combine or work together for any purpose or effect events conspired to ruin him

Etymology: ME conspiren < OFr conspirer < L conspirare, to breathe together, agree, unite < com-, together + spirare, to breathe: see spirit

transitive verb

Rare to plan or plot
conspiring Usage Examples

Preposition: with

  • other: She also pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiring with others to facilitate illegal entry into the UK.
  • man: Hermia arrives and Helena accuses her of conspiring with the men to tease her.

Preposition: against

  • people: What we do know is that the political class of Europe is conspiring against the peoples of Europe.
  • government: Thomas Harrison arrested, but released on giving an assurance to Cromwell that he has no intention of conspiring against the government.

Infinitive complement

  • assassinate: Pitman attended the trial of the men charged with conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
  • commit: Selwyn admitted to conspiring to commit wilful damage over the ax incident.
  • conceal: It's more a case of circumstances conspiring to conceal the truth.

Modifying Another Word

  • secretly: That meant of necessity secretly conspiring against the Romans.
  • allegedly: He was allegedly conspiring to commit a murder, why should he care?