piracy

American  

[pahy-ruh-see] / ˈpaɪ rə si /

noun

• piracies
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• antipiracy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• piracies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of piracy

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

Explanation

Piracy is a what pirates do: they steal stuff. If you plagiarize by stealing someone's words or ideas that’s piracy. Argh! The original sense of piracy comes from pirates — thieves who hijack other boats, taking what they please. That should help you remember that piracy means to steal someone else's work, usually their words or ideas. A writer who doesn't cite their sources is committing piracy. Piracy is plagiarism, and it is legally and morally wrong.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piracy piracies

The security ministry also issued a statement expressing opposition to "bombings by international warships targeting civilians" that "undermined co-operation… in combatting piracy", and demanded an immediate explanation for why they were carried out.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

This year's figures, however, remain far below those recorded in 2011, when piracy in the region peaked.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Netflix in a statement said it is conducting an investigation and is offering to monitor piracy sites for any unauthorized distribution or sale of the film.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

“All it has left is bullying, piracy, noise and the ability to act as a spoiler,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

‘And that’s a humble homage to liberty. To democracy and tyranny. To freedom and piracy.’

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Three are found in Article I, Section 8: counterfeiting, piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against international law.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2016

The piracies represented an oddly terrifying juxtaposition of technology and barbarism, an almost science-fiction quality of civilization in a retrograde time machine, stranded abruptly in a desert waste.

From Time Magazine Archive

Surrounded by the chief citizens and dignitaries of the law sat the governor at a table, on which lay the papers relating to the piracies of Kyd.

From Captain Kyd, Vol. II or, The Wizard of the Sea by Jonathon Holt Ingraham

Now, as such gear was not likely to be of service to Jensen in his piracies, he was at pains to serve his own ends while he pretended to obey the Captain’s commands.

From Marjorie by Justin H. (Justin Huntly) McCarthy

The Algerine piracies did not begin until the sixteenth century.

From Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Related Words

• copying
• hijacking
• infringement
• plagiarism
• theft