piracy

American  

[pahy-ruh-see] / ˈpaɪ rə si /

noun

plural

piracies

1. practice of a pirate; robbery or illegal violence at sea.

2. the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc..

   The record industry is beset with piracy.

3. Also called stream capture.  Geology. diversion of the upper part of one stream by the headward growth of another.

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piracy British  

/ ˈpaɪrəsɪ /

noun

1. robbery on the seas within admiralty jurisdiction

2. a felony, such as robbery or hijacking, committed aboard a ship or aircraft

3. the unauthorized use or appropriation of patented or copyrighted material, ideas, etc

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Other Word Forms

• antipiracy noun

Etymology

Origin of piracy

1545–55; earlier pyracie < Medieval Latin pīrātīa < Late Greek peirāteía. See pirate, -acy

Example Sentences

One Russian lawmaker called the raid an act of “piracy.”

From Salon

Venezuela described it as an act of "international piracy".

From BBC

The film made its debut at Sundance, where it generated so much buzz it had to be pulled from the festival’s online platform because of piracy concerns.

From Los Angeles Times

Musical piracy also hit Zamrockers, as bootleggers made money by copying and selling their music.

From BBC

Caracas has described it as an act of "international piracy".

From BBC

Related Words

• copying
• hijacking
• infringement
• plagiarism
• theft