1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

pirate 1 of 2

noun

ˈpī-rət How to pronounce pirate (audio)
Definition of piratenext
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

Relevance

pirate

2 of 2

verb

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pirate
Noun
In Tampa, Almand rode around the Buccaneers stadium wielding a Bucs flag and got to visit their famed pirate ship. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Knights in shining armor, pirates and princesses grace the grounds of Sleepy Hollow for the annual Renaissance Faire in Des Moines. — Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
Any livestream could be pirated. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 25 June 2026 Then came Drain Gang, Lil Uzi Vert, and a cousin who showed him how to pirate software. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
  1. buccaneer
  2. seize
  3. privateer
  4. steal
  5. freebooter
  6. confiscate
  7. corsair
  8. grab
Noun
  • The final devastating raid by English buccaneers in 1686 left the outpost stripped of the very riches that had invited its ruin.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Photos and videos of the interior reveal buccaneer style down to the most minute details, like octopus tentacle door handles.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 24 June 2026
Definition of buccaneer
Verb
  • The charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Confession has also been a way for artists to seize authority from systems that preferred them silent, decorative, or safely explained.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of seize
Noun
  • Named for privateer Jean Lafitte, who aided American forces during the War of 1812, the park preserves cultural traditions alongside fragile ecosystems.
    — USA TODAY Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of privateer
Verb
  • Film and television are some of the most important exports of the country, and everybody’s stealing production from us.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Ruggedization protects your drive from the elements, while encryption guards your data should your SSD or HDD be lost or stolen.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of steal
Noun
  • There is widespread, cross-partisan public support for finally clamping down on these corporate freebooters.
    — Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2023
  • 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
Definition of freebooter
Verb
  • The filing said a Secret Service agent had confiscated the journalists’ credentials.
    — Jocelyn Noveck, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Politico reported that one of its correspondents was turned away and his press credentials were confiscated.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of confiscate
Noun
  • Courtesy Luxury Living Costa Rica Three centuries before wealthy investors sought out trophy holdings along Costa Rica’s untamed Pacific coast, these shores were a theater of conquistadors, corsairs and cannon fire.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • 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.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Definition of corsair
Verb
  • Over the course of Next Gen NYC’s season, which ended this past week, the model Ava Dash grabs a slice of pizza on Fulton Street; strolls through the Seaport; and calls her father, the hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, from a bench at Pier 17.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Stop in today to bid farewell and grab one last fresh burger, hand cut fries and premium ice cream sundae.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of grab

Browse Nearby Words

piraguas
pirate
pirated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pirate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pirate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of epistemic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All