pirate

American  

[pahy-ruht] / ˈpaɪ rət /

noun

pirates plural

1. a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.

   Synonyms:

   plunderer, corsair, buccaneer, freebooter

2. a ship used by such persons.

3. any plunderer, predator, etc..

   confidence men, slumlords, and other pirates.

4. a person who uses or reproduces the work or invention of another without authorization.

5. Also called pirate stream.  Geology. a stream that diverts into its own flow the headwaters of another stream, river, etc.

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verb (used with object)

pirates, present (3rd person singular) pirated, past participle, past pirating present participle

1. to commit piracy upon; plunder; rob.

2. to take by piracy.

   to pirate gold.

3. to use or reproduce (a book, an invention, etc.) without authorization or legal right.

   to pirate hit records.

4. to take or entice away for one's own use.

   Our competitor is trying to pirate our best salesman.

verb (used without object)

pirates, present (3rd person singular) pirated, past participle, past pirating present participle

1. to commit or practice piracy.

pirate British  

/ ˈpaɪrɪt, paɪˈrætɪkəl /

noun

1. a person who commits piracy

2. 1. a vessel used by pirates

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pirate ship

3. a person who illicitly uses or appropriates someone else's literary, artistic, or other work

4. 1. a person or group of people who broadcast illegally

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pirate radio station

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verb

1. (tr) to use, appropriate, or reproduce (artistic work, ideas, etc) illicitly

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• piratelike
  adjective
• piratic
  adjective
• piratical
  adjective
• unpirated
  adjective
• unpiratical
  adjective
• piratically
  adverb
• unpiratically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pirates
  plural

Participles

• pirating
  present
• pirated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pirate
  simple
• pirates
  simple
• have pirated
  perfect
• has pirated
  perfect
• am pirating
  progressive
• are pirating
  progressive
• is pirating
  progressive
• have been pirating
  perfect progressive
• has been pirating
  perfect progressive

Past

• pirated
  simple
• had pirated
  perfect
• was pirating
  progressive
• were pirating
  progressive
• had been pirating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pirate
  simple
• will have pirated
  perfect
• will be pirating
  progressive
• will have been pirating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pirate

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin pīrāta < Greek peirātḗs, equivalent to peirā- , variant stem of peirân to attack + -tēs agent noun suffix

Explanation

Yarg, matey! A cartoon pirate wears an eye patch, three-cornered hat, billowy shirt, and tall black boots. In real life, a pirate just boards ships and robs them of cargo, valuables, and money, often while wearing regular boring clothes. Pirates have been around since humans have been shipping valuable goods by boat across oceans. You can also use pirate as a verb to describe what these robbers do. Today, in addition to traditional pirates, there are pirates who use digital creative material, like books, movies, games, and music, without paying for it. If you pirate a movie, you make a copy and sell it illegally. The Greek root of pirate is peirates, "one who attacks."

Example Sentences

The streaming giant is undertaking an audacious effort to capture fans of one of Crunchyroll’s biggest hits, the pirate fantasy series “One Piece.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

There’s a spacecraft and a robot and pirate references, all catnip for sci-fi and dystopia lovers and all very well done.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

A pirate attack off Somalia is the work of a new group of "opportunistic criminals", security officials said on Tuesday, complicating a threat that costs the shipping industry billions of dollars.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Notorious pirate Henry "Long Ben" Avery was born near by.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Whatever cautionary value the tale may have had was thus lost, and now here she was, in a hayloft with a pirate, and rather pleased about it, too.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• raider