Definition of piracy
piracies
1 : an act of robbery on the high seas; also : an act resembling such robbery
2 : robbery on the high seas
3a : the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyrightb : the illicit accessing of broadcast signals
From the M-W Editors
Examples of piracy in a Sentence
piracy on the high seas
many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now
Recent Examples of piracy from the Web
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Responding to questions at an international security conference, Hishammuddin explained that Malaysia had conducted a similar operation in the Malacca Strait to clamp down on piracy.
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Responding to questions at an international security conference, Hishammuddin explained that Malaysia had conducted a similar operation in the Malacca Strait to clamp down on piracy.
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The open piracy, and few meaningful efforts to stop it, left little incentive for anyone to set up legitimate music sales or invest in streaming services.
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This includes such current topics as royalty transparency, diversity, piracy and harm reduction.
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Still, the industry has been claiming rather loudly this year that digital piracy would hurt music retail.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'piracy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of piracy
Medieval Latin piratia, from Late Greek peirateia, from Greek peiratēs pirate
Other Legal Terms
PIRACY Defined for English Language Learners
piracy
playDefinition of piracy for English Language Learners
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: the act of attacking and stealing from a ship at sea
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: the act of illegally copying someone's product or invention without permission
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: the act of illegally making television or radio broadcasts
PIRACY Defined for Kids
piracy
playDefinition of piracy for Students
piracies
1 : robbery of a ship at sea
2 : the use of another's work or invention without permission
Law Dictionary
piracy
playLegal Definition of piracy
piracies
1 : an act of robbery especially on the high seas; specifically : an illegal act of violence, detention, or plunder committed for private ends by crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship or aircraft on the high seas or in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state
2a : the unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of another's production (as a film) especially in infringement of a copyright software piracy b : the unauthorized use, interception, or receipt of encoded communications (as satellite cable programming) especially to avoid paying fees for use the statute's purpose is to proscribe the piracy of programming signals — United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)
3 : the crime of committing piracy
Learn More about piracy
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for piracy Spanish Central: Translation of piracy Nglish: Translation of piracy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of piracy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about piracy
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