: pirate
especially
: a privateer of the Barbary Coast
Examples of corsair in a Sentence
no one knows the fate of the corsair's treasure-filled ship
Recent Examples on the Web
Rich gives Marge an eye patch that belonged to a corsair his ancestors knew in Cuba.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Apple has provided some guilty pleasure companion reading for fans of Vince Gilligan‘s new apocalyptic drama Pluribus, full of proud, haughty pirates corsairs and Mandovian spicefruit.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 14 Nov. 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
Set in 1492, the series follows Sara, the defiant daughter of Granada’s chief Rabbi, exiled during Spain’s expulsion of its Jewish population and captured by Ottoman corsairs (‘Korsan’ in Turkish).
—Ben Croll, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Vex have new units called Kobolds, Fallen have flying corsairs.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
In 1544, Barbarossa, a corsair who had risen to become admiral of the Ottoman navy, raided the island and carried away into slavery almost a thousand inhabitants—practically the island’s entire population.
—Lee Marshall, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2025
But the stealthy corsair, evading her pursuer, slipped to safety in Tripoli’s shallow harbor—and then, suddenly, disaster struck the Philadelphia.
—Mark G. Spencer, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2023
Queen of the seas, Britain seemed to countenance the pirating activities of the North African corsairs.
—Thomas Wendel, National Review, 4 July 2019
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Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Apple has provided some guilty pleasure companion reading for fans of Vince Gilligan‘s new apocalyptic drama Pluribus, full of proud, haughty pirates corsairs and Mandovian spicefruit.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 14 Nov. 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
Set in 1492, the series follows Sara, the defiant daughter of Granada’s chief Rabbi, exiled during Spain’s expulsion of its Jewish population and captured by Ottoman corsairs (‘Korsan’ in Turkish).
—Ben Croll, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Vex have new units called Kobolds, Fallen have flying corsairs.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
In 1544, Barbarossa, a corsair who had risen to become admiral of the Ottoman navy, raided the island and carried away into slavery almost a thousand inhabitants—practically the island’s entire population.
—Lee Marshall, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2025
But the stealthy corsair, evading her pursuer, slipped to safety in Tripoli’s shallow harbor—and then, suddenly, disaster struck the Philadelphia.
—Mark G. Spencer, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2023
Queen of the seas, Britain seemed to countenance the pirating activities of the North African corsairs.
—Thomas Wendel, National Review, 4 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Corsair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corsair. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
corsair
noun
cor·sair
ˈkȯr-ˌsa(ə)r 
-ˌse(ə)r
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