Definition of plagiarize
plagiarized
;plagiarizing
transitive verb
: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive verb
: to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
plagiarizer
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of plagiarize in a Sentence
He plagiarized a classmate's report.
She plagiarized from an article she read on the Internet.
Recent Examples of plagiarize from the Web
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WTVC recently found that the unknown writer might have plagiarized from another obituary for a woman named Dolores Aguilar, which ran in 2008 in the Vallejo Times-Herald in California.
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First daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump must give a deposition in a lawsuit claiming her clothing brand plagiarized a shoe design, a district judge ruled June 23.
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First daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump must give a deposition in a lawsuit claiming her clothing brand plagiarized a shoe design, a district judge ruled June 23.
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First daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump must give a deposition in a lawsuit claiming her clothing brand plagiarized a shoe design, a district judge ruled June 23.
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The letter alleged that Pouncey plagiarized his dissertation and used state employees on state time to help write it about eight years ago.
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A review by CNN's KFILE found that Clarke plagiarized sections of his 2013 master's thesis on US security, failing to correctly attribute his sources at least 47 times.
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A recent CNN investigation found that Clarke had plagiarized parts of his 2013 master’s thesis on U.S. security, as well.
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But there have been no allegations that data was altered, plagiarized or fabricated, and no one’s safety was threatened — the kind of misconduct that usually leads to such severe penalties in scientific research.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plagiarize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Kidnapping Roots of plagiarize
If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.
Origin and Etymology of plagiarize
plagiary
Other Literature Terms
PLAGIARIZE Defined for English Language Learners
plagiarize
playDefinition of plagiarize for English Language Learners
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: to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas
Law Dictionary
plagiarize
playLegal Definition of plagiarize
plagiarized
plagiarizing
transitive verb
intransitive verb
Origin and Etymology of plagiarize
from plagiary plagiarist, from Latin plagiarius, literally, kidnapper, from plagium netting of game, kidnapping, from plaga net
Learn More about plagiarize
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See words that rhyme with plagiarize Spanish Central: Translation of plagiarize Nglish: Translation of plagiarize for Spanish speakers
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