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
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 June 2026
The swashbuckling performance of pirate movie The Bluff on Prime Video took its producer and star, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, by surprise.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 June 2026
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Apr. 2026
Any new Costco will only pirate customers from existing retail stores, adding to new vacancies.
—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
We’re told that Krem, a human trafficker who leads a group of space pirates known as the Brigands, possesses the strength of 10,000 men.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 June 2026
The swashbuckling performance of pirate movie The Bluff on Prime Video took its producer and star, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, by surprise.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 June 2026
Verb
For lunch, head to The Pirate House where pirate lore and a casual buffet of Southern staples keep little ones entertained.
—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Apr. 2026
Any new Costco will only pirate customers from existing retail stores, adding to new vacancies.
—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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Photos and videos of the interior reveal buccaneer style down to the most minute details, like octopus tentacle door handles.
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Though nobody's quite sure how the buccaneer came to be or what his name is.
Verb
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Hilton, running on a platform of affordability and lowering taxes, has seized on the sentiment, casting health coverage for immigrants without legal status as deeply unfair and a direct threat to the state’s ability to help citizens.
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So far this year, 17 tons of illicit drugs, mostly cocaine, have been seized in the Pacific region – more than three times the total across the whole of last year, according to the Australian Federal Police.
Noun
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Named for privateer Jean Lafitte, who aided American forces during the War of 1812, the park preserves cultural traditions alongside fragile ecosystems.
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In the absence of privateers, Trump seems to enjoy the idea of the U.S. military acting as outlaws on the seas.
Verb
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The News, The Times and affiliated outlets in Tribune Publishing and MediaNews Group, along with other outlets, are suing OpenAI for allegedly stealing the work of journalists.
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In the video, the man and woman can be seen alleging the family stole their money and emphasizing they aren't wanted in the community.
Noun
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There is widespread, cross-partisan public support for finally clamping down on these corporate freebooters.
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After Columbus’s first footfall in the New World, Cuba fell prey to every manner of European freebooter.
Verb
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In Dallas, the FBI recently announced agents confiscated four drones that allegedly violated Temporary Flight Restrictions over AT&T Stadium and the city's FIFA Fan Festival.
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Amid anecdotal reports that airport security services have been confiscating bottles of ranch dressing that sports tourists have tried to smuggle out of the country, Kraft Heinz came up with a TSA-friendly size of ranch dressing.
Noun
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After the Revolutionary War, the United States maintained no standing fleet, but attacks by the Barbary pirates—corsairs based in North Africa who preyed on American merchant ships and took sailors ransom—drove Congress to reestablish a navy in the 1790s.
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Though many enterprising merchants can fairly be cast as corsairs or buccaneers, a surprising number are, as people, curiously pallid.
Verb
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There is an art to cutting a cantaloupe, which starts long before grabbing the knife and cutting board.
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Schmidt can be forgiven for making this headline-grabbing prediction.
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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