pirate 1 of 2

as in buccaneer
someone who engages in robbery of ships at sea Sir Francis Drake was a British pirate who preyed on Spanish ships with the connivance of Elizabeth I

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pirate

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pirate
Noun
Along with the indigenous groups, old maps indicate the Boca Raton inlet served as a pirate refuge. Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025 Travelers can also visit the San Felipe Fort for a dose of pirate history, then unwind in the slow-moving current of the natural lazy river Los Rápidos. Meagan Drillinger, AFAR Media, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
Cloud software provider VMware is suing Siemens for allegedly pirating the company’s products through unauthorized downloads. Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025 All five of my books were pirated and included in Meta’s dataset. Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
  • But their populations plummeted in the 18th and 19th centuries, as buccaneers and whalers nabbed tortoises for meat and oil.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Which is not to say that Skeleton Crew, in success, couldn’t ever feature the interstellar buccaneer.
    Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • These results suggest that media-savvy Democrats who seize this moment to call out Trump and the MAGA agenda could put themselves in a strong position to become the next leader of the Democratic Party.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Big little Liechtenstein Soon after the Castro brothers seized power in 1959, at the height of the Cold War as the globe was falling into capitalist or communist camps, a complete U.S. trade embargo sought to choke the Cuban economy and bring about regime change.
    Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Pantera even saw competition by privateer teams in Group 3, 4, and 5 racing, with largely unsuccessful results.
    Robert Ross, Robb Report, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Riding a Yamaha as a privateer, Laninovich made two main events last season to become the oldest starter in Supercross history at the age of 40.
    Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Coop is fired from his high-profile finance job, starts stealing from his wealthy neighbors to keep up his lifestyle, chaos ensues, and get your popcorn ready.
    Danielle Pergament, SELF, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The biggest concern for cemetery board members is the bronze doors stolen from three mausoleums, which can be worth more than $10,000 per set.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • After Columbus’s first footfall in the New World, Cuba fell prey to every manner of European freebooter.
    Jon Lee Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
  • There is widespread, cross-partisan public support for finally clamping down on these corporate freebooters.
    Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • Then, in 2010, the bank where the chips were stored confiscated the chips after opening the deposit box.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The animals were confiscated and given to multiple wildlife agencies for care, according to the post.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Freed from a Mediterranean Sea crowded with Ottoman fleets and North African corsairs, the Atlantic upstarts unleashed themselves on the world’s oceans.
    Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2015
  • But the stealthy corsair, evading her pursuer, slipped to safety in Tripoli’s shallow harbor—and then, suddenly, disaster struck the Philadelphia.
    Mark G. Spencer, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2023
Verb
  • At one point, police said, the couple stopped and became involved in a verbal altercation, and the man allegedly grabbed her by the neck and strangled her.
    Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
  • The teacher showed up unannounced at the student's home on Wednesday and requested that the child grab the missing homework assignment, the family said.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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