Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
conspiracy - 4 dictionary results
con⋅spir⋅a⋅cy
[kuh
n-spir-uh-see] 
–noun, plural -cies.
| 1. | the act of conspiring. |
| 2. | an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot. |
| 3. | a combination of persons for a secret, unlawful, or evil purpose: He joined the conspiracy to overthrow the government. |
| 4. | Law. an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act. |
| 5. | any concurrence in action; combination in bringing about a given result. |
Origin:
1325–75; ME conspiracie, prob. < AF; see conspire, -acy; r. ME conspiracioun; see conspiration
1325–75; ME conspiracie, prob. < AF; see conspire, -acy; r. ME conspiracioun; see conspiration
Related forms:
con⋅spir⋅a⋅tive, adjective
con⋅spir⋅a⋅to⋅ri⋅al [kuhn-spir-uh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] , con⋅spir⋅a⋅to⋅ry, adjective
[kuhn-spir-uh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] , con⋅spir⋅a⋅to⋅ry, adjective con⋅spir⋅a⋅to⋅ri⋅al⋅ly, adverb
Synonyms:
1. collusion, sedition. 2. Conspiracy, plot, intrigue, cabal all refer to surreptitious or covert schemes to accomplish some end, most often an evil one. A conspiracy usually involves a group entering into a secret agreement to achieve some illicit or harmful objective: a vicious conspiracy to control prices. A plot is a carefully planned secret scheme, usually by a small number of persons, to secure sinister ends: a plot to seize control of a company. An intrigue usually involves duplicity and deceit aimed at achieving either personal advantage or criminal or treasonous objectives: the petty intrigues of civil servants. Cabal refers either to a plan by a small group of highly-placed persons to overthrow or control a government, or to the group of persons themselves: a cabal of powerful lawmakers.
1. collusion, sedition. 2. Conspiracy, plot, intrigue, cabal all refer to surreptitious or covert schemes to accomplish some end, most often an evil one. A conspiracy usually involves a group entering into a secret agreement to achieve some illicit or harmful objective: a vicious conspiracy to control prices. A plot is a carefully planned secret scheme, usually by a small number of persons, to secure sinister ends: a plot to seize control of a company. An intrigue usually involves duplicity and deceit aimed at achieving either personal advantage or criminal or treasonous objectives: the petty intrigues of civil servants. Cabal refers either to a plan by a small group of highly-placed persons to overthrow or control a government, or to the group of persons themselves: a cabal of powerful lawmakers.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To conspiracy
| con·spir·a·cy (kən-spîr'ə-sē) n. pl. con·spir·a·cies
[Middle English conspiracie, from Anglo-Norman, probably alteration of Old French conspiration, from Latin cōnspīrātiō, cōnspīrātiōn-, from cōnspīrātus, past participle of cōnspīrāre, to conspire; see conspire.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Conspiracy
Con*spir"a*cy\, n.; pl. Conspiracies. [See Conspiration.]1. A combination of men for an evil purpose; an agreement, between two or more persons, to commit a crime in concert, as treason; a plot. When shapen was all his conspiracy From point to point. --Chaucer. They made a conspiracy against [Amaziah]. --2 Kings xiv. 19. I had forgot that foul conspiracy Of the beast Caliban and his confederates. --Shak. 2. A concurence or general tendency, as of circumstances, to one event, as if by agreement. A conspiracy in all heavenly and earthly things. --Sir P. Sidney. 3. (Law) An agreement, manifesting itself in words or deeds, by which two or more persons confederate to do an unlawful act, or to use unlawful to do an act which is lawful; confederacy. Syn: Combination; plot; cabal.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : conspiracy
Spanish:
conspiración,
German:
die Verschwörung,
Japanese:
陰謀
Main Entry: con·spir·a·cy
Pronunciation: k&n-'spir-&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
Etymology: Latin conspiratio, from conspirare to conspire —see CONSPIRE
1 : an agreement between two or more people to commit an act prohibited by law or to commit a lawful act by means prohibited by law; also : the crime or tort of participating in a conspiracy —compare SUBSTANTIVE CRIME
NOTE: Some states require an overt act in addition to the agreement to constitute conspiracy.
chain conspiracy
: a conspiracy in which the conspirators act separately and successively (as in distributing narcotics)
civil conspiracy
: a conspiracy that is not prosecuted as a crime but that forms the grounds for a lawsuit
criminal conspiracy
: a conspiracy prosecuted as a crime
2 : a group of conspirators
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
>
