privateer
Americannoun
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an armed ship that is privately owned and manned, commissioned by a government to fight or harass enemy ships.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an armed, privately owned vessel commissioned for war service by a government
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Also called: privateersman. a commander or member of the crew of a privateer
verb
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a competitor, esp in motor racing, who is privately financed rather than sponsored by a manufacturer
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(intr) to serve as a privateer
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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privateersimple
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privateerssimple
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have privateeredperfect
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has privateeredperfect
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am privateeringprogressive
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are privateeringprogressive
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is privateeringprogressive
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have been privateeringperfect progressive
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has been privateeringperfect progressive
Past
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privateeredsimple
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had privateeredperfect
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was privateeringprogressive
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were privateeringprogressive
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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
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Chapter 6: The American Revolution
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Torpedoed
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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.
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 • Mar. 2, 2024
At this year's race all 62 cars, including the many privateer entries, run on a sustainable fuel made from vineyard grape skin waste.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2023
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
“The Cape’s not so bad. You’re safer there than lots of places. For instance—take the Mediterranean. There—you’d be running from a French privateer, and probably be hulled by a Barbary pirate.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
