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Prepositions after verbs

Conspire against or conspire with?

Both constructions are correct, but they express different relationships. You conspire against someone or something, and you conspire with another person.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with conspire?

Use conspire against for the target of a secret plan and conspire with for the people involved together in the plan. The verb can also appear without a preposition when the plot itself is mentioned.

They conspired against the government.
She conspired with two business partners.
Several officials conspired against the mayor.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
conspire against + target

Showing who or what is targeted

Use against when describing the person, group, or system harmed or opposed by the conspiracy.

The generals conspired against the king.
A small group conspired against the company leadership.
2
conspire with + person

Showing cooperation in a secret plan

Use with for the people acting together in the conspiracy.

He conspired with foreign agents.
The employee conspired with a competitor.
3
conspire to + verb

Showing the aim of the conspiracy

Use to followed by a verb to explain what the conspirators planned to do.

They conspired to hide the evidence.
Several traders conspired to manipulate prices.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
conspire against
The officers conspired against the president.
The president was the target of the plot.
conspire with
She conspired with her cousin.
Her cousin joined the secret plan.
conspire to
They conspired to steal company data.
Shows the planned action.
plot against
The rebels plotted against the ruler.
A close alternative focused on hostile planning.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using with for the target

With introduces partners in the conspiracy, not the victim or target.

✕ They conspired with the government. ✓ They conspired against the government.

Using against for collaborators

Against refers to opposition, not cooperation.

✕ She conspired against two colleagues. ✓ She conspired with two colleagues.

Forgetting the infinitive after conspire

Use to plus a verb when stating the planned action.

✕ They conspired hide the documents. ✓ They conspired to hide the documents.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The executives conspired ___ the regulator.
2. She conspired ___ several investors.
3. The group conspired ___ influence the election.

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Frequently asked questions

Can conspire be used without a preposition?

Yes. You can say people conspired to do something without naming partners or targets.

Is conspire always negative?

Usually yes. It commonly refers to secret or dishonest cooperation.

Can I say conspire against someone with others?

Yes. A sentence can contain both constructions, such as They conspired with rivals against the manager.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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