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Synonyms

plagiarism

American  
[pley-juh-riz-uhm, -jee-uh-riz-] / ˈpleɪ dʒəˌrɪz əm, -dʒi əˌrɪz- /

noun

  1. an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author.

    It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne.
    Synonyms:
    cribbing, borrowing, theft, piracy, infringement, appropriation

  2. a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation.

    “These two manuscripts are clearly plagiarisms,” the editor said, tossing them angrily on the floor.
plagiarism British  
/ ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm /

noun

  1. the act of plagiarizing

  2. something plagiarized

"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
plagiarism Cultural  

  1. Literary theft. Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote.

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Similar theft in music or other arts is also called plagiarism.

Other Word Forms

  • plagiarist noun
  • plagiaristic adjective

Etymology

Origin of plagiarism

First recorded in 1615–25; plagiar(y) + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The online service Grammarly originated in 2009 as a suite of tools to help ferret out plagiarism in schoolwork or help students hone their grammar and spelling.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

When the public hears about scientific fraud, the focus often falls on isolated cases involving falsified data, plagiarism or retracted studies.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

The museum's curator Geoff Haden said he was not surprised by the revelation, as he was aware of a couple of examples of plagiarism by the schoolboy Thomas.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

In early 2024 the company upset some staff at Business Insider by initiating a review of articles detailing plagiarism allegations against former professor Neri Oxman, the wife of hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

The two promptly accused each other of plagiarism, and the English mathematical community, which backed Newton, pulled away from the Continental mathematicians, who supported Leibniz.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.