pirated; pirating
1
: to commit piracy on
2
: to take or appropriate by piracy: such as
a
: to reproduce without authorization especially in infringement of copyright
b
: to lure away from another employer by offers of betterment
: to commit or practice piracy
Synonyms
Examples of pirate in a Sentence
Noun
the famous pirate Jean Lafitte
A software pirate made bootleg copies of the computer program.
Verb
He was accused of pirating their invention.
using pirated software that was subject to copyright
Recent Examples on the Web
Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
Zoom out: Also beware of virtual porch pirates, as one in five delivery package scam attempts starts via text message or messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.
—Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
The film has already been widely pirated in Israel.
—Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate 
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Noun
This small doohickey works with Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery, an exclusive Prime member benefit that protects your packages from porch pirates and increment weather.
—Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
Zoom out: Also beware of virtual porch pirates, as one in five delivery package scam attempts starts via text message or messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.
—Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
The average large studio spends over $100 million annually trying to protect its content, yet for $29 and a 5-minute YouTube video, anyone can rip and pirate virtually any platform.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
The film has already been widely pirated in Israel.
—Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate
Articles Related to pirate
Dictionary Entries Near pirate
Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pirate. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pirate
2 of 2 verb
pirated; pirating
: to take by piracy
pirate an invention
Legal Definition
pirate
1 of 2 noun
pi·rate
ˈpī-rət 
: a person who commits piracy
pirate
2 of 2 verb
pirated; pirating
: to take or appropriate by piracy
especially
: to copy, distribute, or use without authorization especially in infringement of copyright
the pirated software
pirating cable signals
: to commit piracy compare bootleg
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