connive
connive — verb
- connivepresent simple I / you / we / they
- conniveshe / she / it
- connivedpast simple
- conniving-ing form
1. If people connive, they secretly join forces or make private plans to bring abou
If people connive, they secretly join forces or make private plans to bring about something dishonest, unfair, or illegal.
Three board members connived to hide the factory's safety reports.
connive + to-infinitive for secret wrongdoing
Hassan and the cashier connived to skim money from late-night sales.
A customs officer was jailed after conniving with smugglers at the port.
Two club officers connived behind closed doors to block the vote.
Meera refused to connive in the plan to fake exam scores.
文法句型
connive with somebody to do something
connive in a plan
用法筆記
Often followed by with + person, in + noun, or to + verb. Unlike sense 2, this sense means taking part in the secret scheme rather than merely letting it continue.
2. If someone connives at wrongdoing, they know it is happening and choose not to s
If someone connives at wrongdoing, they know it is happening and choose not to stop it, often because it helps them or keeps them out of trouble.
The principal connived at the cheating because the school wanted high scores.
connive at + wrongdoing you choose not to stop
Some guards connived at the smuggling for a share of the profits.
Christopher was fired for conniving at repeated thefts in the stockroom.
Local officials connived at illegal dumping along the river for years.
The coach denied conniving at the team's use of fake ages.
文法句型
connive at something
用法筆記
Usually followed by at + noun when a person in authority ignores or quietly accepts another person's bad act. Unlike sense 1, the subject does not join the plan itself.