as in buccaneer
someone who engages in robbery of ships at sea
Sir Francis Drake was a British pirate who preyed on Spanish ships with the connivance of Elizabeth I
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as in to seize
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pirate
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2026
The duo wore Patriots jerseys and hats, one a fluffy American flag design, and the other a hybrid between a pirates hat and a football.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
One of my ancestors, the great-great-great-great-grandfather, was the most famous Jewish pirate of the Caribbean [Moses Cohen Henriques], the right-hand man of Captain Morgan.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2026
The duo wore Patriots jerseys and hats, one a fluffy American flag design, and the other a hybrid between a pirates hat and a football.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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French buccaneers spent much of the seventeenth century hiding and plundering along the northwest coast of Hispaniola, eventually realizing more money could be made farming tobacco and sugar.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
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Grant had pessimistically concluded in 1965 that the buccaneer capitalism and technocracy of the U.S. had already penetrated the True North beyond repair.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Iran seizes 2 ships on smuggling claims DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Leavitt turns the tables on media outrage as FBI seizes Fulton election documents.—
,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Citizen Genet, the French envoy to the United States, landed in Charleston, South Carolina, and proceeded to enlist American citizens’ help in France’s war with Britain by commissioning privateers in U.S. ports to prey on British ships.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
12 Jan. 2026
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Leaders in Congress agreed and sent out armadas of patriot privateers to do just that, plundering British shipping around the Atlantic rim and forcing Royal Navy warships to redeploy to convoy duty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Expect mild redness and a sandpaper-like texture for several days; small sacrifices for a complexion that steals the spotlight.—
Elycia Rubin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Her worries grow when a group of badgers takes over the Rabbit School and steals the Egg.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There is widespread, cross-partisan public support for finally clamping down on these corporate freebooters.—
Prem Thakker,
The New Republic,
23 Feb. 2023
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After Columbus’s first footfall in the New World, Cuba fell prey to every manner of European freebooter.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Dec. 2021
Verb
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Authorities have also moved to suspend bank accounts, block SIM cards and confiscate the property of protesters' relatives or people who publicly express support for them, said Musa Barzin, an attorney with Dadban, citing reports from families.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Her employee badge, keys and computer were confiscated, according to the memo.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Rich gives Marge an eye patch that belonged to a corsair his ancestors knew in Cuba.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Similarly, Bad Bunny also stopped at a piraguas cart recreation and briefly grabbed a frozen dessert.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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His piece of genius separated the sides entering the 84th minute but during a chaotic finale, the hosts conspired to grab defeat from the jaws of victory.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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