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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pirate
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
The Cameroonian armed forces are currently fighting on multiple fronts: English-speaking separatists in the south, Central African gangs in the east, pirates on the coast, and a metastasising jihadist insurgency in the north.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025
But there was also a silver lining for creators: There could be liability if works were illegally downloaded without payment, opening the door for massive payouts to Universal and other studios if their movies were pirated.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
What does a pirate use his cell phone for?
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
The Cameroonian armed forces are currently fighting on multiple fronts: English-speaking separatists in the south, Central African gangs in the east, pirates on the coast, and a metastasising jihadist insurgency in the north.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
The judge's order asserts that Anthropic pirated more than 7 million copies of books.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025
But there was also a silver lining for creators: There could be liability if works were illegally downloaded without payment, opening the door for massive payouts to Universal and other studios if their movies were pirated.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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Swashbucklers, scoundrels, bandits and buccaneers will soon be bellying up to the bar inside a lively new pirate pub at Walt Disney World that’s already booked solid for the first two months and promises to be a must-have reservation for visitors.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
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The conference curated a world of coming wonders for several hundred C-suite buccaneers who had paid up to fifty thousand dollars apiece to update their mental models and investment portfolios.—
Tad Friend,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Dragons seized another possession with a fumble recovery from Parker Harris — that set up a 10-play scoring drive capped by a four-yard rushing score from Renda.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Sep. 2025
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At trial in December 2023, the jury found Jean — who owned homes in Wellington, Florida, and Long Island, New York, that were seized by authorities — guilty of conspiracy and four wire fraud counts.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The muse, known as Lucybelle II, was a rare privateer entry that demonstrated the determination of non-factory teams.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
18 Sep. 2025
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Those 64 ships had 1,242 guns, compared to 14,872 privateer guns.—
Rick Bennett,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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How can someone steal from you and simply get away with it?—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Two innings later, Martin singled, stole second base and eventually scored the winning run in a ninth-inning comeback victory.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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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Even confiscating half would barely register against a $6 trillion federal budget.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Gordon allegedly brought two envelopes with 61 strips of Suboxone to an inmate at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility — which were then confiscated by officers and sent to a crime lab to be tested by a forensic analyst.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Vex have new units called Kobolds, Fallen have flying corsairs.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
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In 1544, Barbarossa, a corsair who had risen to become admiral of the Ottoman navy, raided the island and carried away into slavery almost a thousand inhabitants—practically the island’s entire population.—
Lee Marshall,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Plus, grab knife sets and a nifty electric can opener to streamline your cooking.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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As Jey checked on Jimmy, LA Knight grabbed the steel chair and teased hitting Jey Uso.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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