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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pirating
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
Verb
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
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The list also includes agreements and groups on renewable energy, oceans, piracy, counterterrorism, and empowerment of women.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Porch piracy occurs all across California's Monterey County and has become more prevalent during the holiday season as people have more packages delivered to their front doors.—
James Herrera Monterey Daily Herald,
Arkansas Online,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bregman played his first nine seasons with the Houston Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 — although the first of those yielded a sign-stealing scandal that earned Bregman and his teammates plenty of scorn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Jacob Elordi is known for stealing hearts on and off-screen.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After confiscating the device, officials downloaded its data to look at the GPS locations of where the drone had been.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
12 Dec. 2025
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Jewish settlers arriving from Europe are confiscating more and more of their land, enabled and protected by the British administrators of the region.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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If regulators streamline permitting, converting the site into a gasoline import terminal could be profitable and relatively quick, said Ryan Cummings of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and a former Biden administration economic adviser.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Huskies opened the first quarter on four consecutive steals, converting each one into points for an 8-0 start on the way to an 88-43 rout.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Take after the actress by grabbing them in black, or choose from six additional colors, including burgundy and deep brown.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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Healthy cooking often boils down to accessibility and convenience; busy lives can leave people grabbing less nutritious alternatives.—
Virginia Willis,
AJC.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And while numbers vary, one former NBA player has even the biggest of rockstars beat, claiming to have slept with 20,000 women over the course of his life.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Investigators said in a press release that a driver called 911, claiming that someone had shot at his vehicle while driving along Highway 67 near Joe Wilson Road.—
Matthew Davisson,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirating. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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