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pi·ra·cy | \ ˈpī-rə-sē 
\
\ plural piracies
Definition of piracy
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 copyright
b : the illicit accessing of broadcast signals
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Examples of piracy in a Sentence
piracy on the high seas
many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now
Recent Examples on the Web Visitors to the Sharebeast website and that of an affiliated domain, albumjams.com, saw a message from the Justice Department and FBI saying the sites had been seized in an anti-piracy operation.
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Mallory Moench, SFChronicle.com, "Benicia solar company executive pleads guilty to defrauding investors of $1 billion," 17 Jan. 2020 The deployment will include one destroyer, equipped with helicopters, and at least one of two P-3C patrol planes currently engaged in anti-piracy operations near Somalia.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Japan to deploy destroyer to Middle East - The Boston Globe," 28 Dec. 2019 The world of streaming has changed significantly since then, but piracy may be an even bigger concern now that more legitimate players have entered and fragmented the market.
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Clare Duffy, CNN, "Two men admit to running illegal streaming sites that rivaled the size of Netflix and Hulu," 16 Dec. 2019 Global online piracy is a multi-billion dollar industry, according to the Global Innovation Policy Center, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Is streaming video from sketchy websites illegal?," 16 Dec. 2019 Beset by strife and chaos since the dictator Siad Barre was ousted in 1991, Somalia has become a byword for chronic state collapse, torn between a stew of rapacious, heavily armed militias and, for a time, linked to piracy on the high seas.
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Eric Schmitt, New York Times, "Somalia Bombing Kills Nearly 80, Raising Fears of Resurgent Militancy," 28 Dec. 2019 The jury’s verdict sends a clear message -- Cox and other ISPs that fail to meet their legal obligations to address piracy on their networks will be held accountable.
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Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, "Labels & Publishers Win $1 Billion Piracy Lawsuit Against Cox Communications," 19 Dec. 2019 Two years ago, some of the biggest names in entertainment and technology formed a group called the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, which was devoted to reducing online piracy.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Netflix, HBO, and cable giants are coming for password cheats - The Boston Globe," 9 Nov. 2019 Two years ago, some of the biggest names in entertainment and technology formed a group called the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, which was devoted to reducing online piracy.
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Gerry Smith, chicagotribune.com, "Netflix, HBO and cable giants are coming for password sharing," 8 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for piracy
piracy
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of piracy
: the act of attacking and stealing from a ship at sea
: the act of illegally copying someone's product or invention without permission
: the act of illegally making television or radio broadcasts
See the full definition for piracy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
piracy
nounpi·ra·cy | \ ˈpī-rə-sē \
\ plural piracies
Kids Definition of piracy
1 : robbery of a ship at sea
2 : the use of another's work or invention without permission
piracy
nounpi·ra·cy | \ ˈpī-rə-sē \
\ plural piracies
Legal Definition of piracy
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 — see also air piracy
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
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Time Traveler for piracy
The first known use of piracy was in 1537
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