pirate

noun

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pi·rate | \ ˈpī-rət

Definition of pirate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: one who commits or practices piracy

pirate

verb

pirated; pirating

Definition of pirate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to commit piracy on

2 : to take or appropriate by piracy: such as

a : to reproduce without authorization especially in infringement of copyright

b : to lure away from another employer by offers of betterment

intransitive verb

: to commit or practice piracy

Other Words from pirate Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About pirate

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Other Words from pirate

Noun

piratical \ pə-ˈra-ti-kəl

, pī- \ adjective

piratically \ pə-ˈra-ti-k(ə-)lē

, pī- \ adverb

Examples of pirate in a Sentence

Noun the famous pirate Jean Lafitte A software pirate made bootleg copies of the computer program. Verb He was accused of pirating their invention. using pirated software that was subject to copyright

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Brady sailed away on a renovated pirate ship from the bitter cold of New England, docked in Tampa Bay and rejuvenated himself in the gentle breezes and soothing waters of the Gulf Coast. — Mike Bianchi, orlandosentinel.com, 30 Aug. 2021 The Gasparilla parade annually draws hundreds of thousands of people as beads and other trinkets are thrown from floats, some resembling pirate ships and firing cannons. — Curt Anderson, ajc, 16 Feb. 2021 The Guns N’ Roses guitarist made some interesting stylistic decisions during his ownership, including pirate-ship chandeliers and faux alligator wallpaper. — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2021 That includes Tampa Bay’s orange and red pirate (picture above), the ‘D’ of the John Elway-era Denver Broncos, and the oil stack of the old Houston Oilers. — Liam Fox, Forbes, 24 June 2021 So will the unfortunate mid-’00s fashion choices — this era wasn’t great for anyone, and not even Padma Lakshmi could escape the pirate cosplay some of us participated in. — Emma Fraser, Vulture, 23 July 2021 Terry Bowes, a grandmother from Arlington, confirmed that the weather was behind her visit to the collection of pirate artifacts with her grandson, James Elliot, 8. — BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2021 These are separate admission from Pirates Dinner Adventure, the original attraction, which has added characters such as a mermaid and a female pirate to the story as well as an animatronic dragon. — Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, 11 July 2021 This spectacular hilltop castle, built as a lookout post against pirate raids, overlooks a maze of alleys, stone homes and tiny piazzas with private entrances. — Silvia Marchetti, CNN, 10 July 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There’s a ton of junk out there, and many of these sites pirate content (which can land you in hot water). — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 11 July 2021 Campbell, a 27-year-old TV cord-cutter, predicts the delay could push people to pirate HBO Max programming illegally or lose interest altogether. — Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2021 When Napster made music incredibly easy to reproduce and pirate illegally back around 2000, musicians lost their ability to earn music royalties. — Michael Taylor, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Apr. 2021 Yet tech companies have long made these kinds of calls, dating back to efforts to thwart child exploitation and police people who pirate music and movies. — Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2021 Old Absinthe House, open since the early 1800s, is supposedly haunted by Voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau, Andrew Jackson, and pirate Jean Lafitte, among others. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2020 The recipe was pirated from Weber’s without permission. — cleveland, 18 May 2020 While its Windows and Office products are used in China, the software is often pirated. — Karen Weise, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2020 In some areas, such as entertainment, technology, and pharmaceuticals, foreign companies looked on helplessly as their products were pirated and their copyrights breached. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pirate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near pirate

pirarucu

pirate

pirate bird

Statistics for pirate

Last Updated

13 Sep 2021

Cite this Entry

“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pirate. Accessed 21 Sep. 2021.

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More Definitions for pirate

pirate

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pirate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: someone who attacks and steals from a ship at sea

: someone who illegally copies a product or invention without permission

: a person or organization that illegally makes television or radio broadcasts

pirate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of pirate (Entry 2 of 2)

: to illegally copy (something) without permission

See the full definition for pirate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

pirate

noun

pi·rate | \ ˈpī-rət

Kids Definition of pirate

: a robber of ships at sea : a person who commits piracy

pirate

noun

pi·rate | \ ˈpī-rət

Legal Definition of pirate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person who commits piracy

pirate

verb

pirated; pirating

Legal Definition of pirate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to take or appropriate by piracy especially : to copy, distribute, or use without authorization especially in infringement of copyright the pirated software pirating cable signals

intransitive verb

: to commit piracy — compare bootleg