privateer
noun
an armed ship that is privately owned and manned, commissioned by a government to fight or harass enemy ships.
privateering
-
present participleof privateer.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
An 1856 treaty purported to ban privateering, but the U.S. refused to sign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
The Protestant queen wanted colonies that would act as an ideological counterweight to Spanish Catholicism in the Americas and provide a base of operations for privateering expeditions that would raid Spanish shipping.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
While the practice known as privateering is archaic, the idea has come up in recent decades.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2022
Antitrust enforcers say one of the most troubling activities of patent owners is what regulators call privateering.
From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2013
In 1619, the first Africans arrived in the Virginia colony on a privateering ship.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
