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

On Monday, he was further convicted on counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, conspiring to destroy aircraft and conspiring to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024

The piracy tracking firm VFT calculated that roughly 17 million fans watched the 2024 Super Bowl illegally. —Vitas Carosella, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

The rise of music piracy happened just as the emo scene, of which Dashboard Confessional is a part, started to experience true growth. —Angela Andaloro, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024

But multiple challenges remain, among them digital piracy, environmental sustainability during shoots, content saturation, competition with short forms of entertainment like TikTok, YouTube etc. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 1 Oct. 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