plagiarize

verb

pla·​gia·​rize ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz 

 also  -jē-ə-

plagiarized; plagiarizing

transitive verb

: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

intransitive verb

: to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

plagiarizer noun

Did you know?

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 plagiarize in a Sentence

He plagiarized a classmate's report.

She plagiarized from an article she read on the Internet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Given years of plagiarizing, lying about his college class rankings and the like, this seems like a fun lie. —Ron Hart, Orange County Register, 26 Apr. 2024

At one point, Privat griped that a certain Hong Kong restaurant had plagiarized his concept. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Cosco, a writer and director on several short films, sued in 2022, claiming that his screenplay for Little Brother was plagiarized. —Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024

Starting as a copy boy at a New York paper, Glick connives, plagiarizes, seduces and schemes his way into Hollywood from writer to producer to studio head. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2024

The chances are that a cheap essay will be plagiarized or poorly written. —Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024

Some of the stories and recipes had been plagiarized from a 2012 memoir by Sharon Wee, Wee had complained on social media. —Emily Heil, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024

Imagine a student or a journalist who won’t promise not to plagiarize. —Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

plagiary

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

plagiarize

verb

pla·​gia·​rize ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz 

plagiarized; plagiarizing

: to steal and pass off (as the ideas or words of another) as one's own

plagiarized a classmate's homework

plagiarizer noun

Legal Definition

plagiarize

verb

pla·​gia·​rize ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz 

plagiarized; plagiarizing

transitive verb

: to copy and pass off (the expression of ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's work) without crediting the source

the book contained plagiarized material

—Smith v. Little, Brown & Co., 265 F. Supp. 451 (1965)

intransitive verb

: to present as new and original an idea or work derived from an existing source

plagiarism

-ˌri-zəm 

noun

plagiarist

-rist 

noun

Etymology

from plagiary plagiarist, from Latin plagiarius, literally, kidnapper, from plagium netting of game, kidnapping, from plaga net