porch pirate

American  

[pawrch pahy-ruht] / ˈpɔrtʃ ˌpaɪ rət /

noun

Slang.

1. a thief who takes packages left outside doors by couriers.

   In some communities, police are baiting packages with tracking devices to capture and deter porch pirates.

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Usage

What does porch pirate mean? A porch pirate is a thief who steals packages delivered to front doorsteps or porches. They especially strike during the holiday season, when people order many gifts online for home delivery.

Other Word Forms

• porch piracy
  noun

Etymology

Origin of porch pirate

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

In our quest to catch the neighborhood porch pirate, we’ve inadvertently built a dragnet that catches much more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Sparky and Lopez’s second dog, a golden retriever named Blazer, both went missing Dec. 3 shortly after the porch pirate was captured on a Ring camera leaving the yard with the gate wide open.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

“He accused me of being a porch pirate, and he just talked to me like I was a lost boy,” Altheimer said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2022

This way, you’ll know when to expect a package to arrive, so you can grab it before a porch pirate can.

From The Verge • Dec. 26, 2021

Even if you want to ding-dong ditch me with my mail, at least I’ll walk upstairs and grab my package before a porch pirate does!

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2021