connive

verb con·nive \kə-ˈnīv\

: to secretly help someone do something dishonest or illegal

con·nivedcon·niv·ing

Full Definition of CONNIVE

intransitive verb

: to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose <the government connived in the rebels' military buildup>

a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink

b : to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding

: conspire, intrigue <accused his opponents of conniving to defeat the proposal>

— con·niv·er noun

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Origin of CONNIVE

French or Latin; French conniver, from Latin conivēre, connivēre to close the eyes, connive, from com- + -nivēre (akin to nictare to wink); akin to Old English & Old High German hnīgan to bow

First Known Use: 1601

Related to CONNIVE

Synonyms: wink

Rhymes with CONNIVE

alive, archive, Argive, arrive, back dive, beehive, contrive, crash-dive, deprive, derive, disk drive, endive, hard drive, high five, high-five, line drive, nosedive, ogive, revive, self-drive, skin-dive, skydive, survive, swan dive, take five, test-drive

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "connive"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "connive"

Nglish: Translation of "connive" for Spanish speakers

Britannica English: Translation of "connive" for Arabic speakers

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