privateer
Americannoun
-
an armed ship that is privately owned and manned, commissioned by a government to fight or harass enemy ships.
verb (used without object)
-
privateers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
privateered,
past participle, past
-
privateering
present participle
noun
-
an armed, privately owned vessel commissioned for war service by a government
-
Also called: privateersman. a commander or member of the crew of a privateer
verb
-
a competitor, esp in motor racing, who is privately financed rather than sponsored by a manufacturer
-
(intr) to serve as a privateer
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
privateersimple
-
privateerssimple
-
have privateeredperfect
-
has privateeredperfect
-
am privateeringprogressive
-
are privateeringprogressive
-
is privateeringprogressive
-
have been privateeringperfect progressive
-
has been privateeringperfect progressive
Past
-
privateeredsimple
-
had privateeredperfect
-
was privateeringprogressive
-
were privateeringprogressive
-
had been privateeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of privateer
Explanation
Long ago, a privately-owned ship used during wartime was known as a privateer. Often the captain and crew of such a ship were also called privateers. The term privateer is sometimes used interchangeably with "pirate," and in fact these independent sailors frequently acted as pirates, looting and seizing other seagoing vessels for their own benefit. Originally, the term designated ships that were commissioned during wartime by a government, so they could aid in fighting the enemy at sea. The word comes from the phrase "private man of war," and is modeled after "volunteer" and "buccaneer."
Vocabulary lists containing privateer
Words Every Pirate Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chapter 6: The American Revolution
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Torpedoed
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
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 ● Mar. 20, 2025
His father, Jan Jansen, a Dutch privateer, was captured by one of the Moorish states in 1618.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2019
It was here that the White Lion, a 160-ton English privateer ship, landed at what was then known as Point Comfort.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 14, 2019
A British privateer raids Spanish ships with his queen’s permission in 1585.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2019
“How long before a privateer comes back? It all depends. Maybe in a few months, maybe in a year, maybe longer.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Letters of marque regulate against abuses; privateers are paid only if they honor all the restrictions on their activities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
In theory, pirates plunder and pillage outside the law, while corsairs were privateers regulated by authorities.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 11, 2024
The privateers were sponsored by the state, and set a ransom of 500 Guineas for Capt Lambton who was sailing The Stephenson from Bristol to Newcastle at the time.
From BBC ● May 17, 2023
As hostility between England and Spain grew, Elizabeth’s government sponsored privateers – pirates working for the English crown – led by a skillful and ruthless captain named Sir Francis Drake.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
We passed other boats and ships of small draught, but all avoided challenge for fear of tampering with privateers.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Authorization of privateering would allow the capture of Iranian vessels now being turned back or disabled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
The Protestant queen wanted colonies that would act as an ideological counterweight to Spanish Catholicism in the Americas and provide a base of operations for privateering expeditions that would raid Spanish shipping.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
While the practice known as privateering is archaic, the idea has come up in recent decades.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2022
In privateering and blockade-runner cases involving the seizure of neutral and Confederate vessels, for example, the court did not defer to the executive’s views.
From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2019
In 1619, the first Africans arrived in the Virginia colony on a privateering ship.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
