pirate
/'paiərit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
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.
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
- a ship that is manned by pirates
- someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation
- someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
Verb
- take arbitrarily or by force
- The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami
- copy illegally; of published material