Synonyms of 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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• buccaneers
• privateers
• corsairs
• freebooters
• raiders
• robbers
• marauders
• rovers
• plunderers
• looters
• pillagers
• despoilers

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• seizes
• claims
• steals
• confiscates
• converts
• grabs
• commandeers
• takes over
• usurps
• annexes
• occupies
• loots
• invades
• assumes
• preempts
• expropriates
• snatches
• arrogates
• appropriates
• presses
• pillages
• repossesses
• despoils
• impounds
• collars
• attaches
• trespasses
• encroaches
• grasps
• sequesters
• wrenches
• infringes
• preoccupies
• misuses
• embezzles
• misappropriates
• wrests
• misapplies
• peculates

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pirates

Noun

White was briefly granted an exception, but pirates attacked that attempt, stealing his supplies and forcing him back to England. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

In the national consciousness, Blackpool has become a morbid caricature of working-class Britain—a place where binge drinking, violence, and vomit are in view of teacup rides, kids on the beach, and plastic pirates. — George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

Blink Wired Floodlight Camera Deal Prowlers and porch pirates get more daring in the summer months, especially after the sun goes down. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

But the island was also a haven for outcasts and pirates and merchants, from across Europe and the Levant and beyond, who came to the Caribbean to seek their fortunes or to help grow the fortunes of others. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

The voyage started with 350 captives; almost all died or were kidnapped a second time by pirates. — USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

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

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