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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pirate
Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
Skeleton Crew stars Jude Law as a quick-witted space pirate who has mastered the all-powerful force and befriends a group of children trying to find their way home after getting lost in the galaxy.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024
All over the world, there were people downloading it, pirating, downloading it.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate 
Noun
The production, Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code, that featured an Egyptian prince, Western outlaws, deep sea pirates, and Hamlet, received rapturous applause by the film’s end.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
Skeleton Crew stars Jude Law as a quick-witted space pirate who has mastered the all-powerful force and befriends a group of children trying to find their way home after getting lost in the galaxy.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Verb
Both men shared and interacted with social media content pirated from theaters over opening weekend –- many of which featured ecstatic crowds reacting to cameos from Channing Tatum, Wesley Snipes and Jennifer Garner.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024
All over the world, there were people downloading it, pirating, downloading it.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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Sporting a goatee, tricorn hat, purple vest and pantaloons, the bad-news buccaneer ambushed the victim near the station’s turnstiles, punching him repeatedly before making off with his AirPods and sneakers.Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2024
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However, the swarthy crew has an abundance of muscles and ego, not one of the buccaneers knows how to read.Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 Sep. 2024
Verb
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The Supreme Court should seize the first opportunity to overturn it.Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
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Officers spoke with him and seized his electronic devices.Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In 1619, the English privateer ship the White Lion docked at Point Comfort in what is now Hampton.Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
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But near the end of Washington’s presidency, French privateers began seizing neutral American ships carrying goods across the Atlantic Ocean.Lindsay M. Chervinsky / Made by History, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Then the men forced her mother to open the safe, stealing several pieces of jewelry and about $10,000 that was inside, prosecutors said.Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
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On the pavement outside the store, Rich told her brother, someone had rolled Ervin’s body over and stolen the pack of cigarettes.Kallie Cox, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 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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School employees eventually confiscated it, finding the tan and black semi-automatic handgun inside with 30 rounds of ammunition and an attached laser pointer, charges allege.Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
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Corey then allegedly confiscated the women’s phones, shot the gun out the window, and then pointed the gold gun at the two ladies.Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 6 Jan. 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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Fans eager to play the game as Ice Spice can grab her Fortnite skins in the Item Shop.Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 13 Jan. 2025
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So grab your favorite streaming device, line up some snacks, and let the enchantment unfold.Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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