conspirator
Americannoun
Usage
What does conspirator mean? A conspirator is someone engaged in a conspiracy—a secret plan by multiple people to do something evil or illegal.The word conspiracy can also refer to the act of making such plans—the act of conspiring—or to the group making the plans. In a legal context, conspiracy refers to an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime.In any of these cases, the people involved can be called conspirators. The word co-conspirator refers to a fellow conspirator—a conspirator conspiring with one or more other conspirators in a conspiracy. But, by itself, the word conspirator always implies that there are multiple people involved—there is never a single conspirator.A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event that claims it was the result of a secret and often complex and evil plot by multiple conspirators. People who promote or formulate conspiracy theories often reject the standard or accepted explanation of unexplained or unusual events and claim that they are the doing of evil conspirators secretly conspiring behind the scenes.Example: This isn’t the work of one man—it’s a conspiracy, and there are more conspirators than you think!
Other Word Forms
- nonconspirator noun
- preconspirator noun
Etymology
Origin of conspirator
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English conspiratour, from Anglo-French, from Latin conspīrātor, from conspīrā(tus) “united, acted in harmony” (past participle of conspīrāre; conspire ) + -tor -tor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The then Lord Chief Justice eventually stopped the pursuit of some journalists , saying they were being unjustly treated like criminal conspirators, concluding the law was ancient and difficult.
From BBC
A series of alleged conspirators were paraded before state television's cameras to make "confessions", with many claiming to have acted on Damiba's instructions.
From Barron's
“Mrs. Warne, you must be careful as you venture back to the conspirators. I want a full report of the day as it unfolds. Call for a carriage at the ticket window.”
From Literature
The tragic hero in Shakespeare’s magnificent play isn’t Julius Caesar but Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the conspirators who plots to assassinate the Roman dictator.
The 1MDB scandal goes back to 2009, when prosecutors say a team of conspirators allegedly began siphoning off money from the fund, promising government officials that they could net big returns on investments.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
