plagiarize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take and use by plagiarism.
-
to take and use ideas, passages, etc., from (another's work) by plagiarism.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
plagiarizesimple
-
plagiarizessimple
-
have plagiarizedperfect
-
has plagiarizedperfect
-
am plagiarizingprogressive
-
are plagiarizingprogressive
-
is plagiarizingprogressive
-
have been plagiarizingperfect progressive
-
has been plagiarizingperfect progressive
Past
-
plagiarizedsimple
-
had plagiarizedperfect
-
was plagiarizingprogressive
-
were plagiarizingprogressive
-
had been plagiarizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plagiarize
First recorded in 1710–20; plagiar(ism) + -ize
Explanation
You plagiarize when you take someone's ideas or words and pass them off as your own. It's a fancy word for copying. When you write your first research paper, your teacher will probably spend some time explaining why you shouldn't plagiarize — and the consequences if you do. It's not illegal to plagiarize but it's morally wrong, and it might just get you tossed out of school. If you're writing something and include someone else's words or ideas without attribution, you are plagiarizing. The origins of the word are said to mean "one who kidnaps the child of another" — which certainly gives a sense of the gravity of the charge. After all, some writers do consider their words to be their babies.
Vocabulary lists containing plagiarize
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Common Core Grades 7–8, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
In a Sunday editorial, the Boston Globe asked, “Did Claudine Gay plagiarize or not? Harvard should be clear.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
OK, so we won’t have take-home essays and we won’t have assignments that students can easily plagiarize using ChatGPT.
From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
"All it does is plagiarize what has been fed into the system and is not capable of writing anything."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2023
In the quickly evolving area of AI imagery, Adobe has tried to position itself as a responsible industry citizen by offering products that won’t plagiarize or create offensive imagery.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 12, 2023
“We’re not going to plagiarize her. Filmmakers create stories based on true events all the time. It’s a common thing.”
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Like AI art, writing generated by AI both plagiarizes and takes away from real, living artists and their craft, training and livelihood.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2023
As it happens with even the best storytellers, Questlove unfortunately — and one hopes unwittingly — at times plagiarizes his own work.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 20, 2021
After the claim made by the Raisens, CeCe Peniston wrote on Instagram that “Truth Hurts” plagiarizes her classic ‘90s hit, “Finally,” calling it “a clear example of #copyrightinfringement.”
From Washington Times ● Oct. 23, 2019
After the claim made by the Raisens, CeCe Peniston wrote on Instagram that “Truth Hurts” plagiarizes her classic ’90s hit, “Finally,” calling it “a clear example of #copyrightinfringement.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2019
In leaving home, Shylock's French plagiarizes the Jew's speech to Jessica, even down to the doubt the Jew has about leaving his house at all.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 06, No. 34, August, 1860 by Various
When the Japanese company decided to build a British-style roadster, it lovingly plagiarized the ’60s-era Lotus Elan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
"The book was pulled from publication because Hill plagiarized portions of it."
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
These manuscripts often contain fabricated data, manipulated or stolen images, plagiarized text and sometimes claims that are scientifically impossible.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026
His wife, Kim Keon-hee, was trailed by myriad controversies of her own, including revelations that she plagiarized her master’s thesis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
Ironically, della Porta was soon complaining that his own discussion of magnetism had been plagiarized by William Gilbert.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
On Monday, a federal judge in Florida dismissed with prejudice a copyright lawsuit that accused Swift of plagiarizing a self-published poet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
And a Smith College graduation speaker was caught plagiarizing her speech.
From Slate ● May 30, 2025
Then Neri Oxman, a former star professor at M.I.T., was accused of plagiarizing from Wikipedia, among other sources, in her dissertation.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
“If your own language is too close to the original, then you are plagiarizing, even if you do provide a citation,” the Harvard policy states.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
If Mrs. Brenner thought plagiarizing the Song of Songs would convince me to ruin my Fourth of July, she was sadly mistaken.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
