pirate

[ pahy-ruht ]

/ ˈpaɪ rət /

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See synonyms for: pirate / pirated / pirates / pirating on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.

a ship used by such persons.

any plunderer, predator, etc.: confidence men, slumlords, and other pirates.

a person who uses or reproduces the work or invention of another without authorization.

Also called pirate stream .Geology. a stream that diverts into its own flow the headwaters of another stream, river, etc.

verb (used with object), pi·rat·ed, pi·rat·ing.

to commit piracy upon; plunder; rob.

to take by piracy: to pirate gold.

to use or reproduce (a book, an invention, etc.) without authorization or legal right: to pirate hit records.

to take or entice away for one's own use: Our competitor is trying to pirate our best salesman.

verb (used without object), pi·rat·ed, pi·rat·ing.

to commit or practice piracy.

OTHER WORDS FOR pirate

1 freebooter, buccaneer, corsair, plunderer.

See synonyms for pirate on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of pirate

1250–1300; Middle English <Latin pīrāta<Greek peirātḗs, equivalent to peirā-, variant stem of peirân to attack + -tēs agent noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM pirate

pi·rate·like, adjectivepi·rat·i·cal

[pahy-rat-i-kuhl, pi-], /paɪˈræt ɪ kəl, pɪ-/, pi·rat·ic, adjectivepi·rat·i·cal·ly, adverbun·pi·rat·ed, adjective

un·pi·rat·i·cal, adjectiveun·pi·rat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pirate in a sentence

Despite the mystery and conflicting legends about his background, we know 1783 marked a turning point in which Gaspar became a pirate and established a pirate den in Charlotte Harbor on the west coast of Florida north of Fort Myers.
The Buccaneers embody Tampa’s love of pirates. Is that a problem?|Jamie Goodall|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
The superhero film, which premiered last month on WarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service at the same time it opened in theaters, immediately became a popular target of pirates.
“Wonder Woman 1984” foreshadows Hollywood’s giant piracy problem|Adam Epstein|January 5, 2021|Quartz
The most amazing thing about “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,” a game about Vikings, is how it somehow articulately ties together the stories of pirates, ancient Egyptian curses and George Washington.
How ‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ makes sense of stories about Vikings, pirates and George Washington|Gene Park|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
With major films on HBO Max at day one, pirates can stay home and produce much higher-quality rip-offs.
Lessons from HBO Max’s streaming surprise|Geoffrey Colvin|December 10, 2020|Fortune

This month alone, the incidents included six attacks logged by the Piracy Reporting Centre, all involved armed pirates on vessels off the coasts of Nigeria, Ghana or Benin.
Piracy is thriving off the coast of West Africa despite COVID nearly crushing global marine traffic|kdunn6|November 20, 2020|Fortune
With the thin, vertical scar down his right cheek, the general effect was faintly piratical.
Literary Bond Superior to Movie Version|Allen Barra|November 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Tryphon was the cause of originating among the Cilicians a piratical confederacy.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
At the extremity of the Taurus is Olympus a mountain,251 the piratical hold of Zenicetus, and a fortress of the same name.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
I do not wish to see a new Barbary rising in America, and our long extended coast occupied by piratical States.
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IV (of 12)|Various
About this time, several piratical vessels had succeeded in cutting off a number of merchantmen near the coast of Brazil.
Martin Rattler|R.M. Ballantyne
With the thoughtlessness of youth Foster had never troubled his mind much about the piratical city of Algiers.
The Middy and the Moors|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for pirate

pirate

/ (ˈpaɪrɪt) /

noun

a person who commits piracy

a vessel used by pirates
(as modifier)a pirate ship

a person who illicitly uses or appropriates someone else's literary, artistic, or other work

a person or group of people who broadcast illegally
(as modifier)a pirate radio station

verb

(tr) to use, appropriate, or reproduce (artistic work, ideas, etc) illicitly

Derived forms of pirate

piratical (paɪˈrætɪkəl) or piratic, adjectivepiratically, adverb

Word Origin for pirate

C15: from Latin pīrāta, from Greek peirātēs one who attacks, from peira an attempt, attack

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pirate

OTHER WORDS FOR pirate

Origin of pirate

OTHER WORDS FROM pirate

Words related to pirate

How to use pirate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pirate

Derived forms of pirate

Word Origin for pirate