plagiarism

noun

pla·​gia·​rism ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə-
1
: an act or instance of plagiarizing
2
: something plagiarized
plagiarist
ˈplā-jə-rist How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə
noun
plagiaristic
ˌplā-jə-ˈri-stik How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə-
adjective

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Common Misspellings

plagarism, plagerism, plagirism

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The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize

If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.

Examples of plagiarism in a Sentence

The student has been accused of plagiarism.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Tools can tailor tone and style and even match a student's previous work, making plagiarism nearly impossible to identify without sophisticated forensics or human intuition. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2025 In May, multiple justices recused themselves from deciding whether to accept an appeal involving alleged plagiarism in books published by Penguin Random House. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 18 June 2025 The studios are following the lead of the New York Times and other publishers, who sued OpenAI and its backer Microsoft over alleged plagiarism. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025 That theory mirrors real-world fears from creators who worry they’ll be displaced not just by plagiarism but by sheer volume of potential category bloat from generative AI exploiters. Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for plagiarism

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plagiarism was in 1621

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Cite this Entry

“Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

plagiarism

noun
pla·​gia·​rism ˈplā-jə-ˌriz-əm How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
1
: an act of plagiarizing
2
: something plagiarized
plagiarist noun
plagiaristic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on plagiarism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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