piracy

noun

pi·​ra·​cy ˈpī-rə-sē 

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

Synonyms

• pirating
• raiding
• robbery

Examples of piracy in a Sentence

piracy on the high seas

many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now

Recent Examples on the Web

Any such seizures, Putin warned, would be considered piracy and could destabilize the global oil market. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025

The 42-year-old tech leader has been at the helm since Spotify’s inception, when the company sought to revolutionize a music industry where iTunes dominated and music piracy via sites like LimeWire and Napster was flourishing. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025

In 2012, Netflix and several other members of the consortium proposed a standard to protect streaming video from piracy by letting browsers play video while blocking access to the underlying files. —Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Instead, competing territorial claims among littoral states — particularly China and its Southeast Asian neighbors — combined with the involvement of non-littoral powers such as Japan, South Korea, and the United States, have hindered collective action on piracy. —Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin piratia, from Late Greek peirateia, from Greek peiratēs pirate

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing piracy

• air piracy
• anti-piracy

Kids Definition

piracy

noun

pi·​ra·​cy ˈpī-rə-sē 

plural piracies

1

: robbery on the high seas

2

: the use of another's production or invention without permission

Legal Definition

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