piracy

noun

pi·​ra·​cy ˈpī-rə-sē 

plural piracies

1

: an act of robbery on the high seas

also : an act resembling such robbery

2

: robbery on the high seas

3

a

: the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright

b

: the illicit accessing of broadcast signals

Synonyms

• pirating

Examples of piracy in a Sentence

piracy on the high seas

many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now

Recent Examples on the Web

In Sweden, where citizens had enjoyed high-speed Internet since the late nineties, piracy took on a political edge. —Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024

It is projected that far over 200 billion visits to piracy sites occur annually, and over $71 billion is lost by the digital economy annually just to piracy in the United States alone. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

While some of his countrymen saw piracy as anarchist, a strike against big business, Ek sensed a more moderate path. —Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024

The largest recipient of grants from the MPA was again Carnegie Mellon University, which has been doing research on piracy and technology, and received $750,000, which was down from $1 million a year earlier. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin piratia, from Late Greek peirateia, from Greek peiratēs pirate

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing piracy

• air piracy
• anti-piracy

Kids Definition

piracy

noun

pi·​ra·​cy ˈpī-rə-sē 

plural piracies

1

: robbery on the high seas

2

: the use of another's production or invention without permission

Legal Definition

piracy

noun

pi·​ra·​cy ˈpī-rə-sē 

plural piracies

1

: an act of robbery especially on the high seas

specifically : an illegal act of violence, detention, or plunder committed for private ends by crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship or aircraft on the high seas or in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state see also air piracy

2

a

: the unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of another's production (as a film) especially in infringement of a copyright

software piracy

b

: the unauthorized use, interception, or receipt of encoded communications (as satellite cable programming) especially to avoid paying fees for use

the statute's purpose is to proscribe the piracy of programming signals

—United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)

3

: the crime of committing piracy