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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pirate
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
States that refused to negotiate or did not meet the obligations of the agreements are often branded as pirates and accused of supporting counterfeiting and theft.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Sony lawyer argued Cox failed to act Paul Clement, the lawyer representing the music industry, countered that Cox is manufacturing a worst-case scenario after failing to take reasonable steps to respond to repeat offenders of peer-to-peer file sharing – the most common means of pirating music.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
The Puntland official said nine pirates boarded and took control of the vessel.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
States that refused to negotiate or did not meet the obligations of the agreements are often branded as pirates and accused of supporting counterfeiting and theft.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Massive cannons were stationed at forts across the world, while smaller and more-portable guns accompanied troops and naval (and pirate) vessels.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Sony lawyer argued Cox failed to act Paul Clement, the lawyer representing the music industry, countered that Cox is manufacturing a worst-case scenario after failing to take reasonable steps to respond to repeat offenders of peer-to-peer file sharing – the most common means of pirating music.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 25 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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More recently, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco has drawn scrutiny for using his position as Riverside County sheriff to seize some 650,000 ballots in the county to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Investigators recovered a 9 mm SIG Sauer handgun, according to the filing, and seized electronic devices as part of the investigation.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 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 Golden Knights regained the lead in the best-of-seven second-round series, 2-1, after stealing Game 1 in Vegas and very nearly being shut out in Game 2.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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The Sixers had momentum — a chance to steal (yes, steal) a game against a far (yes, far) superior Knicks team and salvage what was left of their playoff hopes after ceding the first two games of the second-round series at Madison Square Garden.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 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 government, which insists Lai is Chinese, is seeking to confiscate his assets on national security grounds.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
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Detectives confiscated over $10,000 cash, along with narcotics and a firearm, after serving a search warrant Thursday in Westland, Michigan.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
8 May 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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Mikal Bridges grabbed the offensive rebound and threw it out to Jalen Brunson.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
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The director also grabbed images on the fly, using his iPhone during location scouting to get close-ups of the insects and on set during forest chases.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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