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.

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plagiarism British  

/ ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. the act of plagiarizing

2. something plagiarized

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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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Discover More

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

Meanwhile, Disney was coming under fire for its climbing into bed with a company that artists, writers and other content creators regard as a plagiarism machine.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 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

And after resolving a plagiarism dispute that delayed its release last year, the French-language thriller “The Hunt,” about a deadly encounter between two groups of hunters, is finally landing on March 4.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 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

Surely the similarities were inadvertent, he suggested, since Jackson was obviously a virtuous man and thus incapable of plagiarism.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• falsification
• infringement
• piracy