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
Justice said Abdullah was convicted of conspiring to provide, and providing, material support to a foreign terrorist organization; conspiring to murder U.S. nationals; aircraft piracy; destroying aircraft and transnational acts of terrorism.
—
Tara Suter, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
The death of Diego Barreto comes at an inconvenient time, as Vance is embarking on high-profile talks with the Venezuelan Navy to create a joint task force to combat piracy in the Caribbean.
—EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024
Civil forfeiture was used, among other things, to seize ships to pay customs duties and fight piracy on the high seas.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
The company and the live-music industry grew in lockstep through the aughts; as record sales plummeted due to rampant piracy in the digital age, artists turned to touring to make up the losses.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piracy 
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Tara Suter, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
The death of Diego Barreto comes at an inconvenient time, as Vance is embarking on high-profile talks with the Venezuelan Navy to create a joint task force to combat piracy in the Caribbean.
—EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024
Civil forfeiture was used, among other things, to seize ships to pay customs duties and fight piracy on the high seas.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
The company and the live-music industry grew in lockstep through the aughts; as record sales plummeted due to rampant piracy in the digital age, artists turned to touring to make up the losses.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piracy
Dictionary Entries Near piracy
Cite this Entry
“Piracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piracy. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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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