Definition

1. Verb:
   • To take and use (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc., of another person) as one's own without crediting the source: The core meaning involves using someone else's intellectual work (such as text, ideas, or creative expression) and presenting it as your own original work, which is a serious ethical and often legal offense.
   • To commit literary theft: This emphasizes the act of stealing, specifically in the context of written or artistic creation.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The student was expelled for attempting to plagiarize an entire essay from a website.
  • It is crucial for researchers to cite their sources properly so they do not accidentally plagiarize.
  • The journalist was accused of plagiarizing several paragraphs from a competitor's article.

Advanced Usage

• "to plagiarize from": To steal intellectual material from a specific source.
  • The author was found to have plagiarized from several 19th-century novels.
• Concept of "self-plagiarism": Reusing one's own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment, which is also considered unethical in academic and publishing contexts.
  • Submitting the same paper to two different journals can be considered self-plagiarism.

Variants and Related Words

• Plagiarism (n): The act or practice of plagiarizing; the stolen material itself.
  • The university has a strict policy against plagiarism.
• Plagiarist (n): A person who plagiarizes.
  • The exposed plagiarist lost all professional credibility.
• Plagiaristic (adj): Characteristic of or involving plagiarism.
  • The work was rejected due to its plagiaristic content.

Synonyms

• Copy: To make a reproduction, but often implies a lack of originality rather than intentional theft.
• Pirate: To reproduce or use (another's work) without permission, often for commercial gain.
• Infringe: To violate a law, right, or agreement, especially relating to copyright or patent.
• Appropriate: To take for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission (can be used in intellectual contexts).

Related Phrases

• "to pass off as one's own": A descriptive phrase for the act of plagiarism.
  • He passed off the copied software code as his own.

Related Idioms

• "To steal someone's thunder": To take credit for another person's idea or invention. While related to taking credit, it is less formal and specific than "plagiarize."
  • By announcing the plan first, she stole her colleague's thunder.

Verb

1. take without referencing from someone else's writing or speech; of intellectual property