conspirator

/kən'spirətə/

Thân thiện

Two conspirators whisper in a shadowy corner of the library.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who is part of a secret plan to do something unlawful or harmful: A conspirator is someone who joins with others in a conspiracy, which is a secret agreement to perform an illegal or treacherous act.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • One of the conspirators revealed the plot to the authorities.
  • The trial focused on proving he was a willing conspirator in the fraud scheme.

Advanced Usage

• Legal Context: In law, a conspirator is a party to the crime of conspiracy, even if they did not carry out the main criminal act.
  • The prosecutor argued that as a conspirator, she was equally guilty.
• Historical/Political Context: Often used to describe participants in plots against governments or leaders.
  • The conspirators met in secret to plan the coup.

Variants and Related Words

• Conspiracy (n): The secret plan or agreement itself.
  • They were charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
• Conspire (v): To take part in a conspiracy.
  • The group conspired to overthrow the regime.

Synonyms

• Plotter: A person who makes secret plans to carry out a harmful act.
• Schemer: A person who engages in underhanded plans.
• Coconspirator: A fellow member of a conspiracy (a more specific synonym).

Related Phrases

• "To be in on the conspiracy": To be a participant in the secret plan.
  • He denied being in on the conspiracy.
• "Master conspirator": The main or leading person in a conspiracy.
  • The investigation aimed to find the master conspirator.

Idioms

• "Birds of a feather": This idiom, meaning people with similar characters or interests, can be applied to conspirators.
  • The conspirators were birds of a feather, all motivated by greed.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a member of a conspiracy

Từ đồng nghĩa

• coconspirator
• plotter
• machinator