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
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
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
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The role of piracy and resources The same corridors in which Beijing is concentrating port investment are also hot spots for maritime crime.—
Dylan Spencer,
The Conversation,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Putin denounced that interception as an act of piracy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ukraine accused Hungary’s pro-Russian government of taking the Ukrainians hostage and illegally seizing millions of dollars in cash.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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The same thing happened in Saturday’s 3-2 win at Newcastle, with O’Brien seizing on Dan Burn’s clearing header.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The bishop of a Chaldean Catholic church based in El Cajon is accused of stealing more than $250,000 from the church and backfilling the hole in the books with money intended to be used for poor people, a prosecutor told an East County judge Monday.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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The reverend in charge of the largest cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is accused of stealing more than $1,000 worth of baseball trading cards.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now the city wants more tools to expand its limited enforcement options, which would start with warnings, then fines and may include confiscating food, equipment and carts found in violation of city ordinance and health codes.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Video of the incident shows a CBP officer confiscating the handgun shortly before other agents shot Pretti multiple times, killing him.—
Paul Kiefer,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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East Hartford got a boost when the state committed $6 million toward converting the 111 Founders Plaza office tower into apartments, the centerpiece of the ambitious Port Eastside proposal to make the town’s riverfront a popular entertainment and residential hub.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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The 14-day pause on converting a warehouse in western Maryland into a facility housing as many as 1,500 detainees comes amid questions about the facility’s environmental impact.—
Joe Heim,
Washington Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The news led Deadline to pose the question of whether happenstance means Cannes might struggle to add headline-grabbing movies this year, with several other blockbusters unlikely to screen there.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
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Video of that incident shows Peters grabbing the other woman and shoving her into the center of a hallway.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But rather than claiming a popular mandate its authority comes from prophetic revelation.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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Another key sticking point for each of the defense attorneys was a social media account the prosecution said went from an Antifa DFW account to a book club page, claiming it was changed as a disguise.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated March 13,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirating. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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