2 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE [oft n N ] The ruling monarch's wife or husband is called their consort . □ At tea-time, Victoria sang duets with her Consort, Prince Albert. □ She was surely the most distinguished queen consort we have had.
con|sor|tium /kənsɔː r tiəm/ (consortia /kənsɔː r tiə/ or consortiums ) N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] A consortium is a group of people or firms who have agreed to co-operate with each other. □ The consortium includes some of the biggest building contractors in Britain.
con|spicu|ous /kənsp I kjuəs/
1 ADJ If someone or something is conspicuous , people can see or notice them very easily. □ He spent his money in a conspicuous way on fast cars and luxury holidays. □ You may feel tearful in situations where you feel conspicuous. ● con|spicu|ous|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ Johnston's name was conspicuously absent from the list.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone or something is conspicuous by their absence , you are drawing attention to the fact that they are not in a place or situation where you think they should be. □ He was conspicuous by his absence in the post-match celebrations.
con|spi cu|ous con|su mp|tion N‑UNCOUNT Conspicuous consumption means spending your money in such a way that other people can see how wealthy you are. □ It was an age of conspicuous consumption–those who had money liked to display it.
con|spira|cy /kənsp I rəsi/ (conspiracies )
1 N‑VAR [oft N to-inf] Conspiracy is the secret planning by a group of people to do something illegal. □ Seven men, all from Bristol, admitted conspiracy to commit arson. □ He believes there was a conspiracy to kill the president.
2 N‑COUNT [oft N to-inf] A conspiracy is an agreement between a group of people which other people think is wrong or is likely to be harmful. □ He persuaded himself that they had formed some kind of conspiracy against him.
con|spi ra|cy theo|ry (conspiracy theories ) N‑COUNT A conspiracy theory is a belief that a group of people are secretly trying to harm someone or achieve something. You usually use this term to suggest that you think this is unlikely. □ Did you ever swallow the conspiracy theory about Kennedy?
con|spira|tor /kənsp I rətə r / (conspirators ) N‑COUNT A conspirator is a person who joins a conspiracy.
con|spira|to|rial /kənsp I rətɔː riəl/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone does something such as speak or smile in a conspiratorial way, they do it in a way that suggests they are sharing a secret with someone. □ His voice had sunk to a conspiratorial whisper.
con|spire /kənspa I ə r / (conspires , conspiring , conspired )
1 VERB If two or more people or groups conspire to do something illegal or harmful, they make a secret agreement to do it. □ [V to-inf] They'd conspired to overthrow the government. □ [V + with ] …a defendant convicted of conspiring with his brother to commit robberies. □ [V + against ] I had a persecution complex and thought people were conspiring against me.
2 VERB If events conspire to produce a particular result, they seem to work together to cause this result. □ [V to-inf] History and geography have conspired to bring Greece to a moment of decision. □ [V + against ] But fateful forces beyond the band's control were to conspire against them.
con|sta|ble /kʌ nstəb ə l, kɒ n-/ (constables )
1 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE In Britain and some other countries, a constable is a police officer of the lowest rank. □ He was a constable at Sutton police station. □ …Constable Stuart Clark. □ Thanks for your help, Constable.
2 → see also Chief Constable
3 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE In the United States, a constable is an official who helps keep the peace in a town. They are lower in rank than a sheriff.
con|stabu|lary /kənstæ bjʊləri, [AM ] -leri/ (constabularies )
1 N‑COUNT In Britain and some other countries, a constabulary is the police force of a particular area. □ …the Chief Constable of the Nottinghamshire Constabulary.
2 N‑COUNT In the United States, a constabulary is the constables in a particular area, or the area that they are responsible for.
con|stan|cy /kɒ nstənsi/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Constancy is the quality of staying the same even though other things change. □ We live in a world without constancy.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Constancy is the quality of being faithful and loyal to a particular person or belief. [APPROVAL ] □ …those who have proved their constancy in love.
con|stant ◆◆◇ /kɒ nstənt/ (constants )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use constant to describe something that happens all the time or is always there. □ Inflation is a constant threat. □ He has been her constant companion for the last four months. ● con|stant|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ The direction of the wind is constantly changing.
2 ADJ If an amount or level is constant , it stays the same over a particular period of time. □ The average speed of the winds remained constant.
3 N‑COUNT A constant is a thing or value that always stays the same. □ In the world of fashion it sometimes seems that the only constant is ceaseless change.
con|stel|la|tion /kɒ nstəle I ʃ ə n/ (constellations ) N‑COUNT A constellation is a group of stars which form a pattern and have a name. □ [+ of ] …a planet orbiting a star in the constellation of Cepheus.