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

Pirates Cove Playground has a huge pirate ship for buccaneer and swashbuckler adventures. — Jennifer Boehm, sun-sentinel.com, "Beat the heat: South Florida’s best water parks, pools, splash parks," 23 July 2019 The dress is modern, but in a fanciful way with amusingly gaudy getups for the courtiers and lots of vests and buccaneer boots among Susan Szegda’s costumes. — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Charming SF Shakes’ ‘As You Like It’ has a secret musical weapon," 10 July 2019 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

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buccaneer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.