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
Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Tim Brinkhof The Past Julius Caesar was once captured by pirates.
—Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
The upcoming chapter of the manga is one of the most highly anticipated in its history, as the possible final villain of the story, Imu, is about to take center stage against Luffy and his pirate crew.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Tim Brinkhof The Past Julius Caesar was once captured by pirates.
—Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
Anthropic, it was revealed, pirated millions of digital books to train its Claude chatbot and scanned and shredded millions of more physical ones.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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In 1688 the English buccaneer William Dampier explored New Holland’s northwestern coast.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
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According to the search warrant, investigators went through the home and reported seizing 13 blue capsule pills marked R3060.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
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Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC who is rarely shy on any media topic, seized on the issue of accessible sports rights in a post on X earlier this year.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 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
-
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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Thieves stole the copper wire inside them for scrap metal money.—
Adam Duxter,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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But the poet’s work now centers on illness and relearning how to live after a stroke stole his language and mobility.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 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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The same casino employee returned with an Indiana State Police officer, Fagan said, who confiscated the banner again.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Will our king have the DOJ and the FBI confiscate voting machines?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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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Mornings tend to revolve around Regatta Buffet, or, for something lighter and more grab-and-go, Café Madeleine or Bahama Bagel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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Feel daring, attention-grabbing and unapologetically you.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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