plagiarism

noun

pla·​gia·​rism ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə-
1
: an act or instance of plagiarizing
2
: something plagiarized
plagiarist
ˈplā-jə-rist How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə
noun
plagiaristic
ˌplā-jə-ˈri-stik How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
 also  -jē-ə-
adjective

Did you know?

Common Misspellings

plagarism, plagerism, plagirism

Did you know?

The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize

If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.

Examples of plagiarism in a Sentence

The student has been accused of plagiarism.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The government asked Harvard to do a host of things — like auditing professors’ work for plagiarism and reporting international students who break rules to federal authorities — that outraged the school’s leaders, others in higher education and people far beyond its iron gates. Vimal Patel, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025 Following the initial claims that surfaced in October 2023, other allegations of plagiarism were made against Gay in subsequent weeks. Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025 She was later accused of plagiarism in various papers. Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025 No signs of plagiarism or AI were spotted in the output. Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for plagiarism

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plagiarism was in 1621

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

plagiarism

noun
pla·​gia·​rism ˈplā-jə-ˌriz-əm How to pronounce plagiarism (audio)
1
: an act of plagiarizing
2
: something plagiarized
plagiarist noun
plagiaristic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on plagiarism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!