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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of pirate
Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
Travelers can also visit the San Felipe Fort for a dose of pirate history, then unwind in the slow-moving current of the natural lazy river Los Rápidos.
—Meagan Drillinger, AFAR Media, 28 Mar. 2025
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
All five of my books were pirated and included in Meta’s dataset.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Noun
Along with the indigenous groups, old maps indicate the Boca Raton inlet served as a pirate refuge.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
Travelers can also visit the San Felipe Fort for a dose of pirate history, then unwind in the slow-moving current of the natural lazy river Los Rápidos.
—Meagan Drillinger, AFAR Media, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
Cloud software provider VMware is suing Siemens for allegedly pirating the company’s products through unauthorized downloads.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
All five of my books were pirated and included in Meta’s dataset.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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But their populations plummeted in the 18th and 19th centuries, as buccaneers and whalers nabbed tortoises for meat and oil.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Apr. 2025
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Which is not to say that Skeleton Crew, in success, couldn’t ever feature the interstellar buccaneer.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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These results suggest that media-savvy Democrats who seize this moment to call out Trump and the MAGA agenda could put themselves in a strong position to become the next leader of the Democratic Party.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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No law in this country permits the president to seize federal funds and to just keep them until an institution complies with his personal will.—
Destinee Adams,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Pantera even saw competition by privateer teams in Group 3, 4, and 5 racing, with largely unsuccessful results.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
17 Jan. 2025
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Riding a Yamaha as a privateer, Laninovich made two main events last season to become the oldest starter in Supercross history at the age of 40.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Coop is fired from his high-profile finance job, starts stealing from his wealthy neighbors to keep up his lifestyle, chaos ensues, and get your popcorn ready.—
Danielle Pergament,
SELF,
10 Apr. 2025
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Tom Richard Santos with John of Sherwood: After the death of Robin Hood, a grieving Little John returns to his ancestral Celtic tribe to protect it from the corrupt Church bent on stealing its land — and to confront the dark truth of his crimes as a Merry Man.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
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Then, in 2010, the bank where the chips were stored confiscated the chips after opening the deposit box.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
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The animals were confiscated and given to multiple wildlife agencies for care, according to the post.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Freed from a Mediterranean Sea crowded with Ottoman fleets and North African corsairs, the Atlantic upstarts unleashed themselves on the world’s oceans.—
Jeremy Adelman,
Foreign Affairs,
20 Apr. 2015
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But the stealthy corsair, evading her pursuer, slipped to safety in Tripoli’s shallow harbor—and then, suddenly, disaster struck the Philadelphia.—
Mark G. Spencer,
WSJ,
31 Jan. 2023
Verb
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Antetokounmpo finished the game by scoring 36 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking two shots.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
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So grab a pencil, a few colors or a coloring book and enjoy your boosted brain power.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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