plural piracies
1
: an act of robbery on the high seas
also
: an act resembling such robbery
2
: robbery on the high seas
3
a
: the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright
b
: the illicit accessing of broadcast signals
Examples of piracy in a Sentence
piracy on the high seas
many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now
Recent Examples on the Web
But the judge’s equivocating ruling in that piracy case created a loophole, according to Anthropic’s lawyers.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Stavridis is a Florida native who speaks three languages and, during a 37-year Navy career, oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and counter piracy off the coast of Africa, according to an Augustana University news release.
—Chris Mueller, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 4 Feb. 2026
Spotify, in an attempt to combat music piracy, was founded in 2006 by Swedish duo Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
The leagues and federations that sell broadcasting rights are struggling to convince people that online piracy is bad.
—Olivia Solon, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for piracy
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James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Stavridis is a Florida native who speaks three languages and, during a 37-year Navy career, oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and counter piracy off the coast of Africa, according to an Augustana University news release.
—Chris Mueller, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 4 Feb. 2026
Spotify, in an attempt to combat music piracy, was founded in 2006 by Swedish duo Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
The leagues and federations that sell broadcasting rights are struggling to convince people that online piracy is bad.
—Olivia Solon, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for piracy
Cite this Entry
“Piracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piracy. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
piracy
noun
pi·ra·cy
ˈpī-rə-sē 
plural piracies
1
: robbery on the high seas
2
: the use of another's production or invention without permission
Legal Definition
piracy
noun
pi·ra·cy
ˈpī-rə-sē
plural piracies
1
: an act of robbery especially on the high seas
specifically
: an illegal act of violence, detention, or plunder committed for private ends by crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship or aircraft on the high seas or in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state see also air piracy
2
a
: the unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of another's production (as a film) especially in infringement of a copyright
software piracy
b
: the unauthorized use, interception, or receipt of encoded communications (as satellite cable programming) especially to avoid paying fees for use
the statute's purpose is to proscribe the piracy of programming signals—United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)
United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)3
: the crime of committing piracy
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