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
-
Suing Internet users a bad option Record labels seeking to stamp out piracy might try suing individuals instead of the broadband companies those individuals subscribe to.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
-
Atlantic piracy had reached its peak, blockading the port of Charleston and choking off trade routes from the Caribbean to Long Island.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Bianco also faces scrutiny for seizing more than 650,000 election ballots in what critics call a baseless fraud investigation.—
Hailey Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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Four protesters are suing to stop the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from seizing DNA samples from Americans arrested while peacefully protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Avedian said that the issue is not just about people stealing identities or social security numbers; the danger to the consumer is much greater.—
Amy Corral,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
At the moment, however, AI is merely stealing from us all.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Sunday morning's incident follows the NYPD confiscating vehicles and making arrests last month related to a meet-up in Maspeth, Queens, where fire was involved.—
Lisa Rozner,
CBS News,
10 May 2026
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His first exhibition in 1963 reportedly caused a stir, with a vice squad identifying pornography in at least two of his paintings and confiscating them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, known for blending contemporary design with natural materials, light, and traditional Japanese craftsmanship, is converting a traditional former teahouse in Kyoto into an ultra-private residence.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
14 May 2026
-
One contentious issue confronting Homeland Security now is a plan for converting warehouses into immigrant detention centers.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Other complaints had to do with the Puerto Rican rap star grabbing his crotch, and with two dancers who allegedly grabbed each other's breasts (which, if true, is a wild dance move).—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
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But claiming just one big prize is hard.—
Jack Jankowski,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2026
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Pam Cox called 911 during an argument, claiming her husband had pulled her hair.—
Mark Bradley for the AJC,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirating. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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