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
Wild to me though that something that expensive would just be dropped off with porch pirates out there. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Jamal convened a press conference proclaiming to be able to communicate by phone with Somali pirates who were holding a Nigerian ship hostage. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 Get it at 50 percent off and complete the set with matching bowls featuring the whole Peanuts gang in designs with bats and pumpkins, Snoopy’s doghouse, pirates, Schroeder’s piano, pumpkin patches, cute costumes, and more. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2026 The pirates are believed to have kept the crew supplied with food during the hijacking. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Their journey brings them into conflict with pirates seeking control of the sacred water on which their community depends. — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 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 But the rollicking jollity that accompanies the final two acts, which includes the entrance of pirates and the abduction of Marina to a brothel, robs the ending of some of its pathos. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Speaking of singing pirates, Curry clearly fancied these kinds of roles, signing on to play the villainous Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Brian Henson’s musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel. — ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirates
  1. buccaneers
  2. seizes
  3. corsairs
  4. claims
  5. raiders
  6. steals
  7. confiscates
  8. converts
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
  • That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Wilson, meanwhile, seizes on the opening to play teacher’s pet.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 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
  • The Russian region of Sakhalin includes Sakhalin Island and the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain, which Moscow controls and Tokyo claims.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Dateline Canada team, having reviewed police files on the case, claims to have uncovered an unreported police investigation.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of claims
Noun
  • The series chronicles the rise of Norse raiders Erik Bloodaxe (Xavier Molyneux) and his wife Gunnhild, Mother of Kings (Jessica Madsen).
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Frank and Jesse James rode with them as the raiders killed 150 to 200 men and boys and burned down nearly every business on Massachusetts Street, as well as dozens of homes.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of raiders
Verb
  • But for all the resort’s creature comforts, nature still steals the show.
    — Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The usual answer to this has been to rely on nuclear power to make it through the night, but there is an alternative that steals a page from Earth's playbook.
    — David Szondy October 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 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
  • Software then converts those measurements into a digital reconstruction that follows the material’s movements almost in real time.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Los Angeles also converts only about 53% of red-zone trips into touchdowns, despite producing substantial yardage.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of converts

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Cite this Entry

“Pirates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirates. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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