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
No film, whether streaming at home or playing in theaters, is immune to piracy these days, especially as fans rally around projects to share their favorite clips.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Feb. 2025
Thanks to easily burnable CDs and the proliferation of shareable MP3s, record companies lost money to digital piracy in the early aughts.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
Rose was referring to lawsuits filed by copyright holders alleging that ISPs haven't adequately fought piracy on their networks and failed to terminate repeat infringers.
—Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
That's a distinction with a difference, because piracy is a crime of universal jurisdiction under international law, due to its pernicious effects on global commerce.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for piracy
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Feb. 2025
Thanks to easily burnable CDs and the proliferation of shareable MP3s, record companies lost money to digital piracy in the early aughts.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
Rose was referring to lawsuits filed by copyright holders alleging that ISPs haven't adequately fought piracy on their networks and failed to terminate repeat infringers.
—Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
That's a distinction with a difference, because piracy is a crime of universal jurisdiction under international law, due to its pernicious effects on global commerce.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for piracy
Cite this Entry
“Piracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piracy. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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
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