conspiracy
part of speech
noun (a conspiracy, conspiracies; also uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) A secret plan made by a group of people to do something harmful or illegal: «a conspiracy to rob the bank». tree →
2) The act of planning such a thing: «They were found guilty of conspiracy». tree →
3) A conspiracy theory: a belief that a secret group is behind events, often without good evidence. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: A secret plot, usually to overthrow a king, as with Absalom or against Joash. Jeremiah uses it for a plot of the people against God. Interpretation: Tradition sees these plots as rebellion that brings punishment. Jeremiah's "conspiracy" is read as the people turning back to old sins. In the primary lessons: In history lessons, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (Guy Fawkes, remembered on Bonfire Night in the UK) was a conspiracy to blow up Parliament. In media literacy and online-safety lessons, pupils learn to check conspiracy theories (for example, that the Moon landings were faked) against reliable evidence. In mystery stories, the detective uncovers a conspiracy. Phrases: «a conspiracy theory», «a conspiracy to», «a conspiracy of silence», «uncover a conspiracy».
examples
- And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom. (Prophets 2SA.15.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at Beth-millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla. (Prophets 2KI.12.21, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the LORD said unto me: 'A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Prophets JER.11.9, JPS 1917) tree →
- The Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy to blow up Parliament in 1605. tree →
- The detective uncovered a conspiracy to steal the crown jewels. tree →
- My cousin believes a conspiracy theory that the Moon landings were faked, but there is strong evidence they were real. tree →
- The men were jailed for conspiracy to commit fraud. tree →
- There was a conspiracy of silence about the missing money. tree →
- Always check a conspiracy theory with trusted sources. tree →
- The kids joked that there was a conspiracy to give them extra homework. tree →
- For many years the founder of Thebes reigned happily, but at length a conspiracy was formed against him, and he was deprived of his throne by his grandson Pentheus. tree →
note
Plural: conspiracies (y changes to ies). The verb is «conspire» and a person who does it is a «conspirator». Trap: calling something a «conspiracy theory» does not make it automatically false or true; the question is the evidence. Some real conspiracies have happened, but most popular conspiracy theories have no good evidence.
In the corpora
- And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
- And the LORD said unto me: 'A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «conspiracy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.