pirate

PY-ruht/ˈpaɪɹət/

11 meanings of pirate

1
nouncountable
A robber who attacks ships at sea and steals from them.
Like a highway robber, but working at sea instead of on land.
The pirate buried his stolen gold on a small island.
A band of pirates attacked the merchant ship at dawn.
Similarbuccaneer, corsair
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2
nouncountable
A person who copies and shares music, movies, or software without permission.
Like someone who sneaks copies of a book and hands them out as their own.
The pirate uploaded the new movie online before it reached theaters.
Software pirates cost companies billions of dollars each year.
Similarbootlegger
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3
verbtransitive
To copy and sell something like a movie or song without permission.
Like making fake copies of a toy and selling them as the real thing.
They pirate movies and sell them cheaply at the market.
Someone pirated the game weeks before its official release.
Similarbootleg, copy, counterfeit
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4
nouncountable
An armed ship used to attack and rob other ships at sea.
Like a robber's getaway car, but a whole ship built to attack others.
A pirate chased the trade ship across the open sea.
Two pirates flying black flags blocked the harbor entrance.
Similarcorsair
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5
verbintransitive
To rob ships at sea as a criminal.
Like being a robber whose whole life is spent at sea.
They pirate along the coast, attacking whatever ships pass by.
He pirated for years before the navy finally caught him.
Similarmaraud, plunder, raid
6
verbtransitive
To steal goods from ships by attacking them at sea.
Like a thief grabbing bags off a truck, only the truck is a ship.
The raiders pirate cargo from passing trade ships.
They pirated a chest of silver from the galleon.
Similarplunder, loot, steal, seize
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7
verbtransitive
To get a copy of something like a movie or song without permission.
Like taking a free copy of a book that you were supposed to pay for.
He pirated the game instead of buying it.
Many students pirate textbooks to save money.
Similarsteal, download
Oppositebuy, purchase
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8
adjective
Made as an illegal copy of a product or creative work.
Like a fake watch made to look like an expensive brand.
They sold pirate DVDs from the back of a van.
The market was full of pirate copies of famous brands.
Similarcounterfeit, bootleg, fake, illegal, unlicensed
Oppositegenuine, authentic, legitimate, licensed
9
nouncountable
A seabird that steals food caught by other birds.
Like a bully who waits for others to get food and then grabs it.
The pirate swooped down and snatched the fish from the gull.
These pirates chase other seabirds until they drop their catch.
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10
verbPhilippinestransitive or intransitive
To convince a worker to leave a rival company and join yours.
Like a sports team luring a star player away from another team.
The company pirated two engineers from its main competitor.
Rival firms pirate constantly in this industry.
Similarpoach, lure, steal, headhunt
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11
nouncountable
A type of marble used in children's games.
He won my favorite pirate in the schoolyard game.
She kept her shiniest pirates in a cloth bag.
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Practice

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Origin

It comes from Latin pirata, which came from a Greek word peirates, linked to a Greek word meaning 'attempt' or 'plot'. It reached English through Old French.