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

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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 The website eventually resumed offering pirated shows, and its servers were shut down by Chinese regulators in 2014, not long after the Motion Picture Association of America included Renren Yingshi on a list of pirate sites. — Nectar Gan, CNN, "How a Chinese website for pirated TV shows became a cultural touchstone for millennials," 2 Mar. 2021 Guests get into the pirate mood with tattoos, face paint, and plenty of swashbuckling chatter. — Stratton Lawrence, Travel + Leisure, "Hilton Head Island Travel Guide," 26 Feb. 2021 For going boldly into spring, H&M Studio’s pirate hat is a must. — Madeline Fass, Vogue, "The Spring 2021 Trends Vogue Editors Are Shopping This Season," 25 Feb. 2021 For more than 100 years, Tampa has held a celebration of pirate lore known as Gasparilla. — Curt Anderson, ajc, "Aargh! Tampa delays Gasparilla pirate festival until 2022," 16 Feb. 2021 For more than 100 years, Tampa has held a celebration of pirate lore known as Gasparilla. — Curt Anderson, Star Tribune, "Aargh! Tampa delays Gasparilla pirate festival until 2022," 16 Feb. 2021 Zooming from inside an Airbnb in Hollywood, Ashnikko’s swapped her pirate gear for a heavy-metal T-shirt and pajama pants; her round blue eyes are framed by black-rimmed glasses. — Los Angeles Times, "Channeling Harley Quinn and Lil’ Kim, Ashnikko won the internet. Are the pop charts next?," 25 Jan. 2021 It’s like a legit pirate battle on the seas (but no ropes swinging back and forth). — Rhett Allain, Wired, "Could Bobbie Really Hold 2 Spaceships Together in The Expanse?," 25 Jan. 2021 Despite playing at home, the Buccaneers weren’t allowed to fire the cannons from their famed pirate ship after touchdowns and big plays. — Rob Maaddi, San Antonio Express-News, "Tom Brady wins Super Bowl No. 7, Buccaneers beat Chiefs 31-9," 7 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb 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, "The Most Haunted Cities in America and the Ghosts That Call Them Home," 26 Sep. 2020 The recipe was pirated from Weber’s without permission. — cleveland, "Guidelines set during pandemic to help keep customers, staff safe as Weber’s marks its 90th season: A Place in the Sun," 18 May 2020 While its Windows and Office products are used in China, the software is often pirated. — Karen Weise, New York Times, "Microsoft Issues Financial Warning Because of Coronavirus," 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, "The Uneasy Truce of Trump’s Trade Deal with China," 16 Jan. 2020 But can watching bootlegged or pirated video on the internet get viewers into trouble, too? — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Is streaming video from sketchy websites illegal?," 16 Dec. 2019 And, as anybody who’s pirated content knows, keeping the lid on software is virtually impossible. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "What use are crypto collectibles?," 21 Nov. 2019 In an ironic twist, though, the makers of that firmware have introduced anti-piracy code to prevent people from pirating their own work. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Switch pirates don’t want you to pirate their piracy-enabling firmware," 28 June 2018 These include opening up more Chinese sectors to foreign investment, punishing companies that pirate foreign technology and lowering import tariffs on high-tech goods. — Doug Cameron, WSJ, "How the U.S. Can Protect Corporate America’s Tech Secrets From China," 10 Jan. 2019

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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Last Updated

5 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pirate. Accessed 5 Mar. 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

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