as in piracy
the act or pursuit of robbing ships at sea
officially sanctioned pirating used to be common among warring nations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in seizing
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
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Recent Examples of pirating
Isabella Murray, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
As evidence, the music labels enlisted a third-party company to flag users found to be pirating content via peer-to-peer file-sharing protocols such as BitTorrent.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Anthropic has already been in the hot seat for getting caught pirating millions of digital copies of books.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Partida later discovered another neighbor's video showing a man wearing the same hat stealing another package — raising concerns about a possible porch-pirating spree.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
The discovery ruling bolsters what’s increasingly looking like a winning argument over the practice of pirating books from shadow libraries.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 26 Nov. 2025
When pirating hindered the shipping of gold to Lisbon, Paraty pivoted to farming sugarcane (the basis of cachaça) and later became one of the earliest hubs for coffee growing in a country that is still the globe’s largest exporter of beans.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Downtown Street Teams was founded in Palo Alto in 2005 by Eileen Richardson, a venture capitalist and former chief executive of Napster, a digital platform once known for pirating music that’s since become a streaming service.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Today, Anthropic likely breathes a sigh of relief to avoid the costs of extended litigation and potentially paying more for pirating books.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
But, the pirating is essentially stopped.
—Isabella Murray, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
Sony lawyer argued Cox failed to act Paul Clement, the lawyer representing the music industry, countered that Cox is manufacturing a worst-case scenario after failing to take reasonable steps to respond to repeat offenders of peer-to-peer file sharing – the most common means of pirating music.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
As evidence, the music labels enlisted a third-party company to flag users found to be pirating content via peer-to-peer file-sharing protocols such as BitTorrent.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Anthropic has already been in the hot seat for getting caught pirating millions of digital copies of books.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Partida later discovered another neighbor's video showing a man wearing the same hat stealing another package — raising concerns about a possible porch-pirating spree.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
The discovery ruling bolsters what’s increasingly looking like a winning argument over the practice of pirating books from shadow libraries.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 26 Nov. 2025
When pirating hindered the shipping of gold to Lisbon, Paraty pivoted to farming sugarcane (the basis of cachaça) and later became one of the earliest hubs for coffee growing in a country that is still the globe’s largest exporter of beans.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Downtown Street Teams was founded in Palo Alto in 2005 by Eileen Richardson, a venture capitalist and former chief executive of Napster, a digital platform once known for pirating music that’s since become a streaming service.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Today, Anthropic likely breathes a sigh of relief to avoid the costs of extended litigation and potentially paying more for pirating books.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirating
Noun
-
The list raises many unanswered questions, not least of which is the possibility that the United States is now in favor of piracy on the high seas.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Iran's joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves flexed even more of their defensive muscle against the flagging Denver Nuggets, seizing a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series with a dominant 113-96 victory on Thursday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Multiple videos show a masked federal agent seizing a 57-year-old woman, who says she was put in a chokehold, during the protest in Durango.—
Morgan Lee,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves both bounced back by stealing Game 2 on the road in their respective series.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
In November, the Justice Department charged the Florida Democrat with stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for her campaign.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The sisters’ mother, Vesta Louis, told Politico this week that federal investigators raided both of their homes in simultaneous operations on March 23, confiscating their cellphones and other electronics.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Apr. 2026
-
While Tehran is being bombarded, the regime’s security forces have been stationed at checkpoints across the city, searching civilians and confiscating their phones.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
McDaniels delivered 20 points, converting 9 of 13 shots, and added 10 rebounds.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Burj Al Arab in Dubai has marketed a 25% discount and FIVE Palm Jumeirah is converting room costs into credit for food, beverage, and spa services.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Jaguars used their first pick of the NFL draft to land the blocking tight end Friday night, grabbing him in the second round with the 56th selection.—
Mark Long,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Seahawks stayed put yet again at the end of the second round, grabbing TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th pick.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In Joseph Heller’s novel, claiming to be crazy is taken as evidence of sanity.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Scammers call older people, falsely claiming the victim’s bank account, Social Security number or other personal information has been compromised, Sorrells said.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirating. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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