Thesaurus results for PIRATES

pirates 1 of 2

noun

plural of pirate

as in buccaneers

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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pirates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pirate

as in seizes

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

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 pirates

Noun

The hijacking is the latest in a series of attacks attributed to Somali pirates, whose activities have resurfaced in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean after years of relative inactivity. — Omar Faruk, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 But then a banquet meal goes horribly awry, and pirates sink the ship. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026 Originally known as Gorda Cay, it is believed that pirates frequented the island in the 1700s. — Christian Sylt, Fortune, 16 July 2026 There aren’t enough ships to protect the reopening trade routes from pirates. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026 The age of sail, when pirates like Johnny Depp’s fictional Jack Sparrow roamed the seven seas, ended about 200 years ago. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026 Eight pages later, Leucippe has to fake her own beheading to escape from pirates. — Literary Hub, 30 June 2026 Several professional wrestlers make an appearance in the music video, which features Lauper attempting to rescue her family's local business from creditors, including The Iron Sheik and Andre the Giant, who appeared as pirates. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirates

Noun

The conference curated a world of coming wonders for several hundred C-suite buccaneers who had paid up to fifty thousand dollars apiece to update their mental models and investment portfolios.

— Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

Definition of buccaneers

Verb

Better, Cretton seizes small moments to put his stamp on this installment.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Rhaenyra, queen of the Blacks, seizes the Iron Throne in King’s Landing with the support of Alicent, who has simply had enough of her unstable and terrible sons.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

Definition of seizes

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 corsairs

Verb

Iran claims the Strait of Hormuz is under its control and has frequently attacked vessels that do not adhere to its instructions.

— Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
But these types of cases, especially ones where the petitioner claims ineffective assistance of counsel, are hard to win, two defense attorneys told the Statesman.

— Alex Brizee July 30, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026

Definition of claims

Verb

Milton-Jones ranks third in franchise history in blocks (245) and fourth in points (4,018), field goals (1,509), rebounds (1,882), steals (440) and minutes (10,384).

— Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
And China is a rule-breaker and steals intellectual property.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

Definition of steals

Verb

Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.

— Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025

Definition of confiscates

Verb

By decoding the reasoning and visual cues behind user preferences, the company said the platform converts these inputs into valuable insights rather than discarding them as clutter.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 2026
Adipose tissue converts androgens into estrogen, so rapid fat loss shifts circulating estrogen quickly.

— Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of converts

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“Pirates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirates. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pirates

noun

verb

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