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Synonyms

corsair

American  
[kawr-sair] / ˈkɔr sɛər /

noun

  1. a fast ship used for piracy.

  2. a pirate, especially formerly of the Barbary Coast.

  3. Military. Corsair, a gull-winged, propeller-driven fighter plane built for the U.S. Navy in World War II and kept in service into the early 1950s.


corsair British  
/ ˈkɔːsɛə /

noun

  1. a pirate

  2. a privateer, esp of the Barbary Coast

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of corsair

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French corsaire, from Provençal corsar(i), from Upper Italian corsaro, from Medieval Latin cursārius, equivalent to Latin curs(us) course + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The magazine also highlights cultural sites such as the Hull Maritime Museum, Spurn Lightship and the Arctic Corsair – a former deep-sea trawler that helps tell the port city's story.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

That plant is in the final months of producing the Escape SUV and its luxury cousin, the Lincoln Corsair.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

Within hours, their work was posted on the Corsair website.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2024

Another assembly plant in Louisville that now makes Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair small SUVs will get an unspecified new electric vehicle.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2023

He looked up as he had looked up as a child when his father would bring the black-winged Corsair over their house in New Bern, North Carolina.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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