conspiracy

noun

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

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

   “And you may have noticed that those who are too quick to shout 'conspiracy theorist' are equally swift, when consequences for authority and consensus impend, to look serious and say 'It's more complicated than that.' These have become standard damage-control reflexes.”

   “Modern political religions may reject Christianity, but they cannot do without demonology. The Jacobins, the Bolsheviks and the Nazis all believed in vast conspiracies against them, as do radical Islamists today. It is never the flaws of human nature that stand in the way of Utopia. It is the workings of evil forces.”

2. (countable, uncountable)An agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future.
3. (broadly, countable, uncountable)A secret agreement to do something.

   “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.”

   “On another occasion, some months later, when Currita's birthday, the 10th of October, and feast of St. Francis Borgia, was approaching, the two children were plotting together a conspiracy to give their mother a surprise.”

   “The people whom he visited were members of the surprise party conspiracy, and kept the pianist involved in a heated discussion until they were sure that the surprise was ready for him.”

   “When Mike and his family showed up at nearly the same time, Dan suspected a conspiracy among his mother, brother and sister. He was not surprised to learn that his mother had concocted the plan to get the whole family together again.”

   “Have you been part of a surprise party conspiracy or plotted a delightful treat for someone you love?”

4. (broadly, countable, uncountable)An agreement to work together to bring something about; an act or instance of conspiring.

   “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, […]”

   “You may even find yourself using your new awareness and insight to assist others in their recovery process. A conspiracy to enable others joins the minds of all who seek faces of recovery.”

   “By teaming up, local educators and community leaders can forge a potent, positive conspiracy to help our children to strive for success in school and ultimately in life.”

   “When collaboration is conscious, planned, and shared with others, excitement builds and a conspiracy develops.”

   “Retelling stories can provide a time of reflection, but the idea is to create a conspiracy to open up new ways of thinking in order to change education.”

5. (collective, countable, rare, uncountable)A group of ravens.
6. (collective, countable, rare, uncountable)A group of lemurs.

   “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”) …”

   “The Oregon Zoo welcomed two red-ruffed lemurs this week, bringing the total number in the conspiracy — the name for a group of lemurs — to seven.”

7. (countable, uncountable)A situation in which different phonological or grammatical rules lead to similar or related outcomes.

   “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.”

8. (countable, proscribed, uncountable)A conspiracy theory; a hypothesis alleging conspiracy.

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

   “The internet helps spread conspiracies, but it can also be used to verify claims made by politicians and the media.”

verb

1. (proscribed, rare)To conspire.

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

   ““What are you two conspiracying about up here?” asked Kira, walking up next to me.”

   “Promoters of the CrowdStrike theory often claim that CrowdStrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch is Ukrainian, which they see as “proof” of his willingness to conspiracy with the Ukrainian government and Democrats against Putin and Trump in 2016.”