privateer

American  

[prahy-vuh-teer] / ˌpraɪ vəˈtɪər /

noun

1. an armed ship that is privately owned and manned, commissioned by a government to fight or harass enemy ships.

2. privateersman.

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verb (used without object)

1. to cruise as a privateer.

privateer British  

/ ˌpraɪvəˈtɪə /

noun

1. an armed, privately owned vessel commissioned for war service by a government

2. Also called: privateersman.  a commander or member of the crew of a privateer

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verb

1. a competitor, esp in motor racing, who is privately financed rather than sponsored by a manufacturer

2. (intr) to serve as a privateer

Etymology

Origin of privateer

1640–50; private + -eer, modeled on volunteer

Example Sentences

There, Horace Hunley and his partners intended to operate the submarine as a privateer, helping the Confederacy break the blockade the North had placed on Southern ports.

From Literature

After surviving some of the war’s most consequential battles, Greenwood goes home and then he becomes a privateer, Ward says.

From Los Angeles Times

Ecclestone, a former second-hand car dealer, recognised a kindred spirit and was a kind of guardian angel at times as Jordan navigated the choppy waters of being a privateer team owner.

From BBC

Sir Francis Drake was an English privateer, sailing and seizing stuff on behalf of the queen.

From Los Angeles Times

She either became a privateer herself, taking to the Mediterranean Sea to attack Spanish holdings such as Gibraltar, or she licensed privateers to attack Spain in her name.

From Los Angeles Times