as in buccaneer
someone who engages in robbery of ships at sea
Sir Francis Drake was a British pirate who preyed on Spanish ships with the connivance of Elizabeth I
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
using pirated software that was subject to copyright
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pirate
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Where the Story Is Heading Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of Baroque Works and setting course for Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
So, the Board of Supervisors, through the County Executive Officer, has pirated the Treasurer’s office and is now plundering it.
—John Moorlach, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
Doorbell cameras catch porch pirates.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Where the Story Is Heading Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of Baroque Works and setting course for Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
Include flowering plants in your garden to attract beneficials such as lacewings and pirate bugs, which can help keep populations to manageable levels.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
So, the Board of Supervisors, through the County Executive Officer, has pirated the Treasurer’s office and is now plundering it.
—John Moorlach, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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French buccaneers spent much of the seventeenth century hiding and plundering along the northwest coast of Hispaniola, eventually realizing more money could be made farming tobacco and sugar.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
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Grant had pessimistically concluded in 1965 that the buccaneer capitalism and technocracy of the U.S. had already penetrated the True North beyond repair.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tisch said since Janury, police have seized more than 1,000 guns across all five boroughs, including 300 in Brooklyn alone.—
Adi Guajardo,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The other option is to take control of the Strait of Hormuz by seizing a small island in the Strait that has an airport.—
Jamie McIntyre,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 1783, another privateer, John Claypoole, became Ross’ third husband, and the couple raised a large family and lived full lives in the city.—
Marla Miller,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
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These men were, respectively, a reformist prime minister, the founder of the police force, a naval explorer and a privateer.—
Simon Constable,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Lions added to that success stealing both of its attempts in the win over Allegiance.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
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Podziemski then stole the ensuing inbounds pass to secure the win.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There is widespread, cross-partisan public support for finally clamping down on these corporate freebooters.—
Prem Thakker,
The New Republic,
23 Feb. 2023
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After Columbus’s first footfall in the New World, Cuba fell prey to every manner of European freebooter.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Dec. 2021
Verb
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In January, the Colombian Navy seized over two tons of cocaine from a speedboat in the South Pacific Ocean, and in November, the nation announced its largest cocaine bust in a decade, with 14 tons confiscated at its main Pacific port.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Police also can't confiscate recording devices if the documenter follows those rules.—
Caden Perry,
jsonline.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Though many enterprising merchants can fairly be cast as corsairs or buccaneers, a surprising number are, as people, curiously pallid.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2026
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In the 1790s, the United States faced a world ruled by corsairs and kings.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Making his fifth start of the season in Queta’s absence, the backup center tallied 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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Miami is now 10-2 this season when grabbing more than 15 offensive rebounds.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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