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

Explanation

When you rip off someone else's ideas or work and pretend it's your own, that's plagiarism. There's a fine line between borrowing and stealing — between plagiarism and theft — and it's often open to debate what actually constitutes an outright taking of someone's material. As Einstein once said, "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." From the Latin word for "kidnapped," when you plagiarize, you are being an intellectual thief, kidnapping someone else's ideas or words for your own purposes.

Example Sentences

The fiasco brought additional scrutiny to Ms. Gay, whose scant scholarly record invited credible accusations of plagiarism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Unified instructor who said teachers can tell when a student’s work is original or is not and try to steer them clear of shortcuts and plagiarism.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 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

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

Related Words

• falsification
• infringement
• piracy