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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 pirates
Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Themed weeks include Harry Potter, Star Wars and pirates.
—Jessie Dax-Setkus, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
Doorbell cameras catch porch pirates.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Where the Story Is Heading Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of Baroque Works and setting course for Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of the Baroque Works organization and heading toward Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
But Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates recognizing the scale of the Baroque Works organization and setting course for Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
The third, Thomas Jefferson, fought the Barbary pirates without a formal declaration.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
The park also pointed out a Junior Ranger booklet's mention of female pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries dressing like men to hide among ship crews.
—Karin Brulliard, Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
Tim Brinkhof The Past Julius Caesar was once captured by pirates.
—Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Themed weeks include Harry Potter, Star Wars and pirates.
—Jessie Dax-Setkus, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
Doorbell cameras catch porch pirates.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Where the Story Is Heading Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of Baroque Works and setting course for Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of the Baroque Works organization and heading toward Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
But Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates recognizing the scale of the Baroque Works organization and setting course for Arabasta Island.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
The third, Thomas Jefferson, fought the Barbary pirates without a formal declaration.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
The park also pointed out a Junior Ranger booklet's mention of female pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries dressing like men to hide among ship crews.
—Karin Brulliard, Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 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
Verb
-
Earnest and intersectional, the spoken word artist’s debut solo album seizes upon the power of club music to preach about gender equality, personal transformation, and communal uplift.—
Jesse Dorris,
Pitchfork,
25 Mar. 2026
-
So, when Ozzie (Kyle Bary), a former child star, finds himself in a heap of trouble, Jax seizes the opportunity to spice up her daily routine.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For example, you're not obligated to buy the car rental company's expensive insurance, regardless of what a car rental salesperson claims.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Bank of America also has agreed to pay certain litigation costs and claims administration costs, and those costs will not come from the fund used to pay class members, records show.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Acknowledging burdens and consequences In the 1790s, the United States faced a world ruled by corsairs and kings.—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Apple has provided some guilty pleasure companion reading for fans of Vince Gilligan‘s new apocalyptic drama Pluribus, full of proud, haughty pirates corsairs and Mandovian spicefruit.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Each impact steals a tiny bit of the spacecraft’s speed, pushing it a smidgen closer to Earth.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Outstanding UConn defender Dom Perno steals the ball from Bradley as the clock runs out to preserve a UConn victory, sending UConn to the Elite 8, where they eventually were beaten by Duke, 101-54.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Milwaukee Marshall High School confiscates a student’s phone until the end of the day for a first offense, requires a parent pickup after a second offense and issues an automatic suspension for repeat violations.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
All that maritime commerce also attracted its fair share of Viking raiders from Scandinavia.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Give me raiders of the lost past, any day, and forgive them their lack of footnotes.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The ground station receives that beam with its telescope, focuses it onto a detector, and converts the optical signal back into digital data.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Its Allegris class introduces personal enclaves, including a center Suite Plus that converts into a double bed for couples.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirates. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
