conspiracy

The word “conspiracy” means a secret plan made by two or more people to do something harmful or illegal. In plain terms, a secret plot between people, or a theory claiming one exists.

“Conspiracy” is pronounced kuhn-SPIH-ruh-see (/kənˈspɪɹəsi/ in IPA).

Here is “conspiracy” used in a sentence: “The trial uncovered a conspiracy to defraud investors.”

“Conspiracy” is a noun.

The word “conspiracy” comes from Latin. From Anglo-Norman conspiracie, from Latin conspiratio, formed from conspire plus -acy.

“Conspiracy” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Conspiracy” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a secret plan made by two or more people to do something harmful or illegal.

A 'conspiracy' is an actual secret plan made by two or more people to do something harmful or illegal. A 'conspiracy theory' is a claim that a secret group is responsible for an event, often without solid evidence. One is a real hidden plot, while the other is an unproven explanation for something.

'Conspiracy' emphasises a secret plan to do something harmful or illegal, and it is often a criminal charge in itself. 'Collusion' refers to secret cooperation for a deceitful or unfair purpose, which may not always be a crime. Conspiracy usually implies planned wrongdoing, while collusion stresses the secret working together.

Both involve a secret plan, but 'conspiracy' specifically requires two or more people acting together and usually implies something harmful or illegal. A 'plot' can be devised by a single person and is a more general word for a secret scheme, whether wicked or merely mischievous.