corsair

noun

cor·​sair ˈkȯr-ˌser  kȯr-ˈser 

: pirate

especially : a privateer of the Barbary Coast

Synonyms of corsair

• pirate

Examples of corsair in a Sentence

no one knows the fate of the corsair's treasure-filled ship

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 1790s, the United States faced a world ruled by corsairs and kings. — Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2026

Rich gives Marge an eye patch that belonged to a corsair his ancestors knew in Cuba. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

If peaceable trading isn't your dream, consider the corsair life, pillaging other ships for their precious cargo. — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025

Though many enterprising merchants can fairly be cast as corsairs or buccaneers, a surprising number are, as people, curiously pallid. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French corsaire pirate, from Old Occitan corsari, from Old Italian corsaro, from Medieval Latin cursarius, from Latin cursus course — more at course

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

corsair

noun

cor·​sair ˈkȯr-ˌsa(ə)r 

-ˌse(ə)r

: pirate entry 1