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
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
See all Example Sentences for piracy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
See all Example Sentences for piracy
Dictionary Entries Near piracy
Cite this Entry
“Piracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piracy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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)
United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)3
: the crime of committing piracy
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share