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

Netflix said in a statement last month that 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 ● Aug. 21, 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

On 7 May, the government launched a nationwide crackdown on products and practices that violate intellectual property rights, including counterfeit goods, online piracy and trademark infringements.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

“According to some of the American published sources, the cause of the conflict was put down to Tripoli’s piracy and America’s determination to suppress it,” Folayan wrote.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Step forth and give your assistance in building the Frigate to oppose French insolence and piracy.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

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

Could the sultan have been held responsible for the piracies of his nominal vassal, they would have been put an end to a century sooner.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20, September, 1877. by Various

She dramatized her poor mouse of a husband as a devastating Don Juan; and then forgave him, as most of the victims of Don Juan's ruthless piracies forgave him.

From In a Little Town by Rupert Hughes

It is very true he is charged with piracies in several ships, but they had French passes when the seizure was made.

From The Book of Buried Treasure Being a True History of the Gold, Jewels, and Plate of Pirates, Galleons, etc., which are sought for to this day by Ralph Delahaye Paine

Related Words

• copying
• hijacking
• infringement
• plagiarism
• theft