as in buccaneers
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in seizes
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pirates
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Eight pages later, Leucippe has to fake her own beheading to escape from pirates.
—
Literary Hub,
30 June 2026
The 180-degree view shows everything from packages to porch pirates in sharp HD, and motion alerts pop up instantly on your phone.
—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 June 2026
Several professional wrestlers make an appearance in the music video, which features Lauper attempting to rescue her family's local business from creditors, including The Iron Sheik and Andre the Giant, who appeared as pirates.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 June 2026
We’re told that Krem, a human trafficker who leads a group of space pirates known as the Brigands, possesses the strength of 10,000 men.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 June 2026
Tens of thousands drowned, while others were raped, robbed, and murdered by pirates, finding vulnerable prey.
—
Elizabeth Holtzman,
Time,
9 June 2026
No child, or reader of Robert Louis Stevenson, can deny the allure of pirates, but the marauders are rarely the good guys in the story.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
The spot is known for its utter romance and distinct architecture, with buildings featuring balconies hovering over the water—it's said these were used by resident merchants to load their goods directly onto boats and (hopefully) avoid pirates.
—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2026
Noun
The age of sail, when pirates like Johnny Depp’s fictional Jack Sparrow roamed the seven seas, ended about 200 years ago.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Eight pages later, Leucippe has to fake her own beheading to escape from pirates.
—
Literary Hub,
30 June 2026
The 180-degree view shows everything from packages to porch pirates in sharp HD, and motion alerts pop up instantly on your phone.
—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 June 2026
Several professional wrestlers make an appearance in the music video, which features Lauper attempting to rescue her family's local business from creditors, including The Iron Sheik and Andre the Giant, who appeared as pirates.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 June 2026
We’re told that Krem, a human trafficker who leads a group of space pirates known as the Brigands, possesses the strength of 10,000 men.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 June 2026
Tens of thousands drowned, while others were raped, robbed, and murdered by pirates, finding vulnerable prey.
—
Elizabeth Holtzman,
Time,
9 June 2026
No child, or reader of Robert Louis Stevenson, can deny the allure of pirates, but the marauders are rarely the good guys in the story.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
The spot is known for its utter romance and distinct architecture, with buildings featuring balconies hovering over the water—it's said these were used by resident merchants to load their goods directly onto boats and (hopefully) avoid pirates.
—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirates
Noun
-
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.
Verb
-
Trump seizes America’s 250th-birthday spotlight, headlining the Great American State Fair, hosting a UFC bout at the White House and promoting new passports, $250 bills and coins bearing his image.
-
Ellie brings up the salad and seizes the opportunity to take credit for her part in making lunch.
Noun
-
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.
-
Acknowledging burdens and consequences In the 1790s, the United States faced a world ruled by corsairs and kings.
Verb
-
Now a controversial study claims that working from home worsened mental health.
-
The video claims to show a FAB-500 aerial glide bomb destroying a UAV command post near Novopavlovka and a temporary deployment area in the Kherson region.
Noun
-
In 2014, raiders won 72% of votes cast to declassify Costco's board and still lost, because that was less than half of all shares.
-
For decades, tomb raiders have pillaged sites across the country, selling them on the black market.
Verb
-
John Krasinski stars as a jet-setting art thief who steals priceless paintings to help uncover clues as to the whereabouts of the fabled Fountain of Youth.
-
Carr is not a point-of-attack defender, gets beat in isolation and doesn’t collect nearly as many steals for a player with his physical gifts.
Verb
-
Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.
-
The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.
Verb
-
Carli Lloyd converts a penalty kick for Team USA and a 1-0 lead.
-
What The Gap Actually Looks Like A performance marketer optimizing against a 14-day window will buy traffic that converts quickly—discount-seekers, single-purchase intenders, the cohorts cheapest to acquire and fastest to leave.
Cite this Entry
“Pirates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirates. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
