1
as in Mafias
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in complicities
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose
a conspiracy among the leading manufacturers to fix prices
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in schemes
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
several generals were engaged in a conspiracy to overthrow the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conspiracies
Conspiracy theories on Butler shooting persist In more than a year since the shooting and preliminary investigation took place, the FBI has released little additional information about Crooks, opening another avenue for conspiracies to run amok, the New York Times reported.
—
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The narrowing of communication channels is perhaps the most devastating impact conspiracies can have on a relationship.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
As with many space conspiracies, a few evocative images plus some real (but unrelated) history can fuel a story that’s hard to shake.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Sanseito was born on YouTube in 2020 with a message trafficking in vaccine conspiracies.
—Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
The book details the investigation into a string of unsolved killings in and around the special operations base, revealing a network of narco-trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and the military covered up.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
The book reveals a network of drug trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and that the military covered up.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
In Germany, the academic Kevin Winter and colleagues found that belief in conspiracies had many times more influence on wind opposition than any demographic factor.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Aug. 2025
The president's campaign to undermine the 2020 election outcome bred false conspiracies, including that certain brands of voting machines could change votes.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The narrowing of communication channels is perhaps the most devastating impact conspiracies can have on a relationship.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
As with many space conspiracies, a few evocative images plus some real (but unrelated) history can fuel a story that’s hard to shake.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Sanseito was born on YouTube in 2020 with a message trafficking in vaccine conspiracies.
—Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
The book details the investigation into a string of unsolved killings in and around the special operations base, revealing a network of narco-trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and the military covered up.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
The book reveals a network of drug trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and that the military covered up.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
In Germany, the academic Kevin Winter and colleagues found that belief in conspiracies had many times more influence on wind opposition than any demographic factor.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Aug. 2025
The president's campaign to undermine the 2020 election outcome bred false conspiracies, including that certain brands of voting machines could change votes.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracies
Noun
-
The lack of action or will to curb this has led some researchers to seriously propose planetary-scale geoengineering schemes.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
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But his greedy schemes and her desire to keep her dog immortal led to the downfall of her once-thriving business and turned her into a woman on the run.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Gerson believes the gangs have retreated.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Last November, gangs opened fire on a Spirit Airlines flight landing in Port-au-Prince, striking a flight attendant who received minor injuries.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Its plots were familiar yet engaging, and its characters were the kind viewers wanted to spend time with week after week.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Visitors span inner-city apartment dwellers who grow herbs on fire escapes and rural families planning orchard plots.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This creates a need to expand collection networks, boost consumer participation and design for textile-to-textile recyclability.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
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Broadcast and cable networks like CNN did show some of the footage, but stopped the images and ran only audio, with the sounds of those in the crowd screaming.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Senior running back/defensive end Ishmaiah Elliott intrigues.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
For the past four years, Honan has been a worm in Adams’s apple, scoring scoop after scoop about the dramas, inanities, and intrigues of his administration.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In Greenberg’s novel, Cherry and Hero are already secret lovers who conspire to thwart the menfolk’s machinations.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The machinations violated the NBA’s salary cap rules.—
Jason Clinkscales,
Sportico.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Behind these scams, according to the Commission's findings, Chinese crime syndicates have aligned themselves with Beijing's geopolitical agenda.—
Mike Kuiken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
These scam centers mushroomed especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, when Chinese criminal syndicates found a new use for empty casinos and hotels.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yet the unit also targets dissenters and those, including various clans, some backed by Israel, that dare to defy Hamas’s rule.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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His death effectively ended the O’More as one of the major Irish clans.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conspiracies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracies. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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