piracy

noun pi·ra·cy \ ˈpī-rə-sē \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

plural piracies

1 : an act of robbery on the high seas; also : an act resembling such robbery

2 : robbery on the high seas

3 a : the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright

b : the illicit accessing of broadcast signals

See piracy defined for English-language learners

See piracy defined for kids

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

That show consistently delivered more viewers in key demos and might have an audience less prone to piracy.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Syfy has canceled The Expanse, but its producers want to find it a new home," 11 May 2018
The Chinese have characterized the base as a logistic hub for peacekeeping and anti-piracy operations.

— paul sonne, Washington Post, "U.S. accuses China of directing blinding lasers at American military aircraft in Djibouti," 3 May 2018
It’s early days for the exploits right now, as there’s no custom firmware available or homebrew tools to make the inevitable widespread piracy and homebrew app support a reality.

— tom warren, The Verge, "Nintendo’s Switch can be hacked to run custom apps and games," 24 Apr. 2018
Recent moves that have aroused strong suspicion in India range from China's taking control of a major port in Sri Lanka and signing of groundbreaking trade deals with Nepal, to its navy conducting anti-piracy operations in the western Indian Ocean.

— steven jiang, CNN, "Friday's other big summit: Why the Modi-Xi meeting matters," 26 Apr. 2018
The lawsuits invoked one of the first laws ever passed by Congress, the Alien Tort Statute of 1789, known as ATS, intended to be a forum for resolving claims of piracy.

— NBC News, "Victims sued a Mideast bank for financing terror. Supreme Court said they can't.," 24 Apr. 2018
China’s entire music industry generated $480 million in revenue from live and recorded music in 2016, PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates, a small-sounding figure thanks to years of rampant piracy: later data aren’t yet available.

— jacky wong, WSJ, "Tencent Music: Tune In, But Don’t Turn On Yet," 23 Apr. 2018
Tencent Music Entertainment runs three major music services, Q Music, KuGou and Kuwo, and is credited with helping to unlock China's potential in streaming, as well as chip away at the market's problem with piracy.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "Tencent Music Setting Stage for Giant IPO in U.S.: Report," 23 Apr. 2018
Spotify has long argued its service fights the music industry’s piracy problem by offering a convenient alternative.

— erin griffith, WIRED, "Spotify and the Triumph of the Subscription Model," 3 Apr. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1537

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

piracy Synonyms

Synonyms

pirating;

privateering;

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

PIRACY Defined for English Language Learners

piracy

noun

: 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

PIRACY Defined for Kids

piracy

noun pi·ra·cy \ ˈpī-rə-sē \

plural piracies

1 : robbery of a ship at sea

2 : the use of another's work or invention without permission

Law Dictionary

piracy

noun pi·ra·cy \ ˈpī-rə-sē \

plural 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 — see also air piracy

2 a : 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

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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