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pirate

[ pahy-ruht ]
/ ˈpaɪ rət /
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See synonyms for: pirate / pirated / pirates / pirating on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), pi·rat·ed, pi·rat·ing.
verb (used without object), pi·rat·ed, pi·rat·ing.
to commit or practice piracy.
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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

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

How to use pirate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pirate

pirate
/ (ˈpaɪrɪt) /

noun
a person who commits piracy
  1. a vessel used by pirates
  2. (as modifier)a pirate ship
a person who illicitly uses or appropriates someone else's literary, artistic, or other work
  1. a person or group of people who broadcast illegally
  2. (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
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