Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who attacks and robs ships at sea: A pirate is someone who commits robbery or other violent acts for private gain while traveling by sea, typically without legal authority from any nation.
   • A ship used by such people: A pirate can also refer to the vessel operated by sea robbers.
   • Someone who uses or reproduces the work of another without permission: In modern contexts, a pirate is someone who infringes on copyright or intellectual property, such as by illegally copying software, media, or ideas.

2. Verb:

   • To rob or plunder (a ship) at sea: To pirate means to attack and steal from a vessel on the water.
   • To use or reproduce (another's work) without authorization: To pirate also means to illegally copy or distribute copyrighted material like movies, music, or books.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The pirate boarded the merchant ship and demanded its treasure.
  • Authorities seized a pirate vessel off the coast.
  • He is nothing but a software pirate who distributes cracked programs.

• Verb:

  • In the 18th century, many sailors chose to pirate in the Caribbean.
  • It is illegal to pirate movies and share them online.

Advanced Usage

• "Pirate radio": An illegal or unlicensed radio station that broadcasts without official authorization.

  • The pirate radio station played music the mainstream channels wouldn't.

• "Pirate copy": An unauthorized duplicate of a copyrighted work.

  • He bought a pirate copy of the DVD from a street vendor.

Variants and Related Words

• Piracy (n): The act or crime of committing robbery at sea; the unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted material.

  • Digital piracy is a major concern for the film industry.
  • The golden age of piracy occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries.

• Piratical (adj): Of or relating to pirates; resembling the actions of a pirate.

  • They launched a piratical attack on the convoy.

Synonyms

• Noun (Sea Robber): Buccaneer, corsair, privateer (historically, a privateer had a commission, but the term is often used similarly), sea rover.
• Noun (Copyright Infringer): Bootlegger, plagiarist.
• Verb (To Plunder): Plunder, loot, commandeer.
• Verb (To Copy Illegally): Bootleg, copy illegally, infringe.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases

• To pirate away: This is not a standard phrasal verb. The verb "to pirate" is typically used transitively (e.g., pirate a ship, pirate software).

Related Idioms

• "Swashbuckling pirate": A term describing a pirate, often in fiction, as daring, flamboyant, and romanticized.
  • The children dressed up as swashbuckling pirates for the party.

Noun

1. a ship that is manned by pirates
2. someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation
3. someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own

Verb

1. take arbitrarily or by force
   • The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami
2. copy illegally; of published material