buccaneer

noun

buc·ca·neer | \ ˌbə-kə-ˈnir

Definition of buccaneer

1 : any of the freebooters preying on Spanish ships and settlements especially in 17th century West Indies broadly : pirate

2 : an unscrupulous adventurer especially in politics or business

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Examples of buccaneer in a Sentence

buccaneers who preyed upon treasure-laden ships in the Caribbean

Recent Examples on the Web

Whereas buccaneers in the Gulf of Guinea and South-East Asia stole cargo, the Somalis seized crews and often the ships themselves, hauling them back to the ungoverned coast of their lawless state. — The Economist, "The Gulf of Guinea is now the world’s worst piracy hotspot," 29 June 2019 Coastal towns from Charleston to Boston hosted pirate ships and waterfront buccaneer communities. — Rinker Buck, WSJ, "‘Black Flags, Blue Waters’ Review: To Live and Die a Pirate King," 26 Sep. 2018 Merl could easily be a buccaneer’s grandmother, with her heavy gold earrings and delighted laugh. — Horatio Clare, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why You Should Go to Belize Now," 21 Dec. 2018 Brigands, buccaneers and even mermaids will be around to entertain landlubbers like yourselves, the Liberty ship John W. Brown and the schooner Panther will be open for tours, there’ll be food, drink and grog aplenty. — Chris Kaltenbach, baltimoresun.com, "Privateers, Platinum Comedy and Jewish film: the best of Baltimore's arts and entertainment scene this week," 15 Apr. 2018 The first settlements on Santa Ana Hill, close to the River Guayas, endured fires and attacks by pirates and buccaneers. — Allie Almario, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to the Galápagos Islands," 5 Oct. 2016 Sentimental buccaneers and bumbling bobbies will share the stage with an eccentric major general. — Tom Titus, latimes.com, "On Theater: Vanguard University schedules shows for summer and its 2018-19 season," 31 May 2018 Palmieri, an aging art buccaneer and former Vietnam draft dodger, remains very much alive today, now in his 70s. — Erik Spanberg, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Last Wild Men of Borneo' is a real-life adventure tale about two expats in the jungle," 27 Mar. 2018 The very first seconds of your buccaneer career are marred with strange, artificial limitations that continue to pockmark the rest of the game. — Steven Strom, Ars Technica, "Sea of Thieves makes a weak, meandering first impression," 24 Mar. 2018

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