as in pirates
someone who engages in robbery of ships at sea
no one knows the fate of the corsair's treasure-filled ship
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Recent Examples of corsairs
After the Revolutionary War, the United States maintained no standing fleet, but attacks by the Barbary pirates—corsairs based in North Africa who preyed on American merchant ships and took sailors ransom—drove Congress to reestablish a navy in the 1790s.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Acknowledging burdens and consequences In the 1790s, the United States faced a world ruled by corsairs and kings.
—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
Apple has provided some guilty pleasure companion reading for fans of Vince Gilligan‘s new apocalyptic drama Pluribus, full of proud, haughty pirates corsairs and Mandovian spicefruit.
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Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Set in 1492, the series follows Sara, the defiant daughter of Granada’s chief Rabbi, exiled during Spain’s expulsion of its Jewish population and captured by Ottoman corsairs (‘Korsan’ in Turkish).
—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Acknowledging burdens and consequences In the 1790s, the United States faced a world ruled by corsairs and kings.
—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
Apple has provided some guilty pleasure companion reading for fans of Vince Gilligan‘s new apocalyptic drama Pluribus, full of proud, haughty pirates corsairs and Mandovian spicefruit.
—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Set in 1492, the series follows Sara, the defiant daughter of Granada’s chief Rabbi, exiled during Spain’s expulsion of its Jewish population and captured by Ottoman corsairs (‘Korsan’ in Turkish).
—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corsairs
pirates
Noun
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The age of sail, when pirates like Johnny Depp’s fictional Jack Sparrow roamed the seven seas, ended about 200 years ago.
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Eight pages later, Leucippe has to fake her own beheading to escape from pirates.
Cite this Entry
“Corsairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corsairs. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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