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

---

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

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

The leather jacket belonged to the days of the Corsair when men dueled in the skies for possession of Pacific atolls and for airspace above the gray, endangered fleets.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy