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GRE vocabulary

conspire

verbHigh-frequency wordMore C words

to plan secretly with others to do something harmful or illegal; or for events to combine toward one result

Word origin: From Latin conspirare, literally to breathe together.

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In a sentence

Conspire in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing conspire in a sentence.

Circumstances seemed to conspire against them at every turn during the ill-fated expedition.

Historians debate whether the ministers actually conspired against the king or merely failed to defend him.

Synonyms
colludeschemeplotconnive
Antonyms

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The startup's early growth, impressive as it looked on paper, rested on a blank foundation, for a single lost contract was enough to push the firm to the brink of collapse.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “conspire” well

Conspire usually denotes secret planning for harm, aligning it with plot and scheme, but it has a milder sense in which circumstances conspire toward an outcome. The second sense lacks any criminal implication.

Common questions

Questions about “conspire”

Conspire (verb) means to plan secretly with others to do something harmful or illegal; or for events to combine toward one result
Here is conspire used in an example sentence: "Circumstances seemed to conspire against them at every turn during the ill-fated expedition." Another example: "Historians debate whether the ministers actually conspired against the king or merely failed to defend him."
Common synonyms for conspire include collude, scheme, plot, connive.
Antonyms of conspire include oppose, thwart, foil.
Clusters with collude, scheme, plot, and connive in Sentence Equivalence. Opposites oppose, thwart, and foil describe working against a plan rather than secretly advancing it.
Yes. Conspire is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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