pirating 1 of 2

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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pirating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pirate

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 pirating
Noun
Shows had to be encrypted to prevent pirating, but easily viewable on Android, iOS, web and other platforms. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026 No drugs were found, but Simpson’s home address had also come up during the investigation as one potentially linked to the purchase of satellite TV pirating equipment. — ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026 But, the pirating is essentially stopped. — Isabella Murray, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
Many remember the spate of lawsuits against Anthropic, for pirating book data, some of which are still going on. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Cox won’t help defendants beat allegations of direct copyright infringement, those claims in which the company itself is accused of pirating. — ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirating
Noun
  • Revenue was down significantly, as rampant digital piracy, coupled with the broader digital download era, had cratered album sales, and revival from the streaming era was still a half decade away.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Jamal, who co-founded the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, which helps immigrants find pro bono attorneys, also helped retain a lawyer for the Somali teenager charged with piracy in the infamous Captain Richard Phillips hostage-taking.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Grapevine finds a win against Eagle Mountain Grapevine football moved to 1-1 in District 3-5A Division II, seizing a 34-14 victory over Fort Worth Eagle Mountain on Friday.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2026
  • With Pharrell Williams steering the production ship, the Athens, Georgia native wasted no time in seizing the opportunity to create his most cohesive, genre-bending body of work to date.
    — Mikey Fresh, VIBE.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This results in a snowball fight, some wedding crashing, and Lister stealing Hitler's bag.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The only time the school has won anything in 30 years comes when scumbag Jim Harbaugh goes out and magically comes up with some sign-stealing special agent who then sends the program on a massive string of success.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The European Central Bank and Brussels also fear that confiscating Russia’s reserves would damage the euro’s standing and Belgium’s reputation as a financial safe haven.
    — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Two decades later, the IDF would storm Palestinian community centers, confiscating flags and shutting down celebrations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The trade is poised to benefit farmers, particularly women, in developing economies such as India by converting marginal and underutilized land into income-generating assets.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • These meticulous services have a reputation for yielding flawless-looking nails that last for weeks, converting people all over the globe.
    — Lucy Abbersteen, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Sacramento County Health Inspectors gave a red placard to a local pizzeria after observing an employee, with gloves on, grabbing a napkin and killing a cockroach then continuing to cook.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Aire Libre is still around for those who just can’t bear the thought of not grabbing a beer by the pool.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But anonymous Telegram channels claiming to be fact-checking organizations gained popularity and spread the false narrative there.
    — RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Trans-exclusionary feminists like Julie Bindel or Kathleen Stock, and for that matter Davidson and Craven, enjoy regular access to the national media to delegitimize trans identity while claiming transgender people undermine women’s voices.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pirating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirating. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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