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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as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
using pirated software that was subject to copyright
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pirate
Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
One young girl stared slack-jawed in shock at Rodrigo while the other crew of kids with her — including a few Care Bears and a pirate — grabbed handfuls of treats from her bowl.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 15 July 2024
The most tantalizing speculative line concerns pirate sexuality.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate 
Noun
Tickets went on sale Thursday for the illuminated tradition, a 1.5-mile crawl through the park with thousands of twinkling lights creating tunnels, elves, snowflakes, a basketball-tossing Santa, pirate ships and even dinosaurs.
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
One young girl stared slack-jawed in shock at Rodrigo while the other crew of kids with her — including a few Care Bears and a pirate — grabbed handfuls of treats from her bowl.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
Enlarge Getty Images | Smith Collection/Gado Major record labels sued Verizon on Friday, alleging that the Internet service provider violated copyright law by continuing to serve customers accused of pirating music.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 15 July 2024
The most tantalizing speculative line concerns pirate sexuality.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for pirate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirate
Noun
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However, the swarthy crew has an abundance of muscles and ego, not one of the buccaneers knows how to read.Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 Sep. 2024
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The Adventureland Suite exudes the romance of exploration, while the opulent Pirates of the Caribbean Suite is filled with a trove of treasure maps, chests and buccaneer memorabilia.Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Six of the firearms seized at his home were legally registered to him.Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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The Tariff Act of 1930 gives CBP authority to detain, further examine or seize goods that violate laws ranging from country of origin to intellectual property rights.Lauren Parker, Sourcing Journal, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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But near the end of Washington’s presidency, French privateers began seizing neutral American ships carrying goods across the Atlantic Ocean.Lindsay M. Chervinsky / Made by History, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
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Of these, Audi Motorsport reserved 20 for its program, sold 20 to privateer teams, and the remainder were offered on the market at about $80,000 each.Robert Ross, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2024
Verb
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This fall, however, sculptural east-west bags stole the show.Laura Jackson, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
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As the ultra-rich Harrison Lee Van Buren, an apparent philistine who becomes Toth’s artistic champion, Pearce steals the show.Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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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
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There is widespread, cross-partisan public support for finally clamping down on these corporate freebooters.Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2023
Verb
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These items can hurt the everyday consumer, damage crops and harm the country's economic bottom line, and CBP confiscates them.Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024
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And in September that year Colombian officials confiscated a shipment of almost 3,500 shark fins bound for Hong Kong.Jack Guy, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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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
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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
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After the tree lights up the night, the park will be open for visitors to check out the exhibits and grab some holiday treats.Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 18 Nov. 2024
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At one point, the man allegedly told Combs to grab a white bird from a cage that the man had presumably brought with him.Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Pirate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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