pirated; pirating
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
: to commit or practice piracy
Synonyms
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
Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 May 2024
The oncoming armada was not soldiers or pirates or kingsmen.
—Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate 
Noun
Other leagues will take advantage the very second the Premier League stops hurling money around like a drunken pirate, imperiling English dignity.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 May 2024
The oncoming armada was not soldiers or pirates or kingsmen.
—Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pirate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pirate. Accessed 12 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pirate
2 of 2 verb
pirated; pirating
: to take by piracy
pirate an invention
Legal Definition
pirate
1 of 2 noun
pi·rate
ˈpī-rət 
: a person who commits piracy
pirate
2 of 2 verb
pirated; pirating
: 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
: to commit piracy compare bootleg
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