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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.


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

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

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

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

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

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

From Science Daily

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