From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconspirecon‧spire /kənˈspaɪə $ -ˈspaɪr/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] 1 PLANto secretly plan with someone else to do something illegal → conspiracyconspire (with somebody) to do something All six men admitted conspiring to steal cars.conspire against There was some evidence that he had been conspiring against the government.2 TIME/AT THE SAME TIMEif events conspire to do something, they happen at the same time and make something bad happenconspire to do something Pollution and neglect have conspired to ruin the city.conspire against Emily felt that everything was conspiring against her.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
conspire• Circumstances were really conspiring against her!• The President called a meeting and accused his aides of conspiring against him.• Berating Park, Carter threatened to continue the withdrawal despite all opposition and accused his aides of conspiring against him.• He had not only denied the fact of his own body, he had actually conspired against it.• Ten men were convicted of conspiring to bomb the UN and the FBI buildings in New York.• Kevin Maxwell faced two charges of conspiring to defraud pensioners.• Design and costs conspire to make many working-class' households huddle as they always have - all together in one room.• Every now and then nature conspires to rivet homeowners' attention on a particular maintenance problem.• All this has conspired to turn a rich business into a relatively poor one.• She would not have guessed him a conspiring type.• There was no doubt that they were conspiring with other African guerrilla movements.conspire (with somebody) to do something• The manner of McVeigh's death conspired with him to amplify his sense of grandeur.• So there was nothing harmful in Kent police officers conspiring with criminals to boost clear-up statistics.• They are jointly accused of conspiring with others to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.• That you conspired with him to cheat me.• Singh said that Pepper conspired with Young to devise the scheme to pass phony checks.• The company was accused of conspiring with local stores to fix prices.• I believe he was conspiring against me to put me in prison.• They were conspiring with organized-crime figures to send assassins to Havana, poisoners, snipers, saboteurs.• It was as if all creation conspired here to show people the mystery and the marvel of love.conspire to do something• Such factors have conspired to add momentum to the drive for even greater central control by government.• Other beneficiaries include an international financier and fugitive, Marc Rich; a leftist radical convicted of conspiring to bomb the U.S.• Events conspired to ensure his defeat in the election.• My entire neighbourhood conspired to make him lose.• Taylor and Smith, 42, of Dousland, Devon, both admitted conspiring to murder her husband.• Demographic changes may also conspire to raise the share of public expenditure.• All deny conspiring to smuggle drugs.• All six admitted conspiring to steal cars.Origin conspire (1300-1400) Old French conspirer, from Latin conspirare “to breathe together, agree, conspire”, from com- ( → COM-) + spirare “to breathe” 