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Definition of pirate - 9 dictionary results

pi⋅rate

  [pahy-ruht] noun, verb, -rat⋅ed, -rat⋅ing.
Use pirate in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.
2. a ship used by such persons.
3. any plunderer, predator, etc.: confidence men, slumlords, and other pirates.
4. a person who uses or reproduces the work or invention of another without authorization.
5. Also called pirate stream. Geology. a stream that diverts into its own flow the headwaters of another stream, river, etc.
–verb (used with object)
6. to commit piracy upon; plunder; rob.
7. to take by piracy: to pirate gold.
8. to use or reproduce (a book, an invention, etc.) without authorization or legal right: to pirate hit records.
9. to take or entice away for one's own use: Our competitor is trying to pirate our best salesman.
–verb (used without object)
10. to commit or practice piracy.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L pīrāta < Gk peirāts, equiv. to peirā-, var. s. of peirân to attack + -tēs agent n. suffix

Related forms:
pi⋅rate⋅like, adjective
pi⋅rat⋅i⋅cal  [pahy-rat-i-kuhl, pi-] , pi⋅rat⋅ic, adjective
pi⋅rat⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. freebooter, buccaneer, corsair, plunderer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pirate
pi·rate   (pī'rĭt)   
n.  
    1. One who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation.
    2. A ship used for this purpose.
  2. One who preys on others; a plunderer.
  3. One who makes use of or reproduces the work of another without authorization.
  4. One that operates an unlicensed, illegal television or radio station.
v.   pi·rat·ed, pi·rat·ing, pi·rates

v.   tr.
  1. To attack and rob (a ship at sea).
  2. To take (something) by piracy.
  3. To make use of or reproduce (another's work) without authorization.
v.   intr.
To act as a pirate; practice piracy.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pīrāta, from Greek peirātēs, from peirān, to attempt, from peira, trial; see per-3 in Indo-European roots.]
pi·rat'ic (pī-rāt'ĭk), pi·rat'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj., pi·rat'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Pirate

Pi"rate\, n. [L. pirata, Gr. ?, fr. ? to attempt, undertake, from making attempts or attacks on ships, ? an attempt, trial; akin to E. peril: cf. F. pirate. See Peril.]

1. A robber on the high seas; one who by open violence takes the property of another on the high seas; especially, one who makes it his business to cruise for robbery or plunder; a freebooter on the seas; also, one who steals in a harbor.

2. An armed ship or vessel which sails without a legal commission, for the purpose of plundering other vessels on the high seas.

3. One who infringes the law of copyright, or publishes the work of an author without permission.

Pirate perch (Zo["o]l.), a fresh-water percoid fish of the United States (Aphredoderus Sayanus). It is of a dark olive color, speckled with blackish spots.

Pirate

Pi"rate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pirated; p. pr. & vb. n. Pirating.] [Cf. F. pirater.] To play the pirate; to practice robbery on the high seas.

Pirate

Pi"rate\, v. t. To publish, as books or writings, without the permission of the author.

They advertised they would pirate his edition. --Pope.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : pirate
Spanish: pirata,
German: der Pirat, Piraten-…,
Japanese: 海賊
More Translations »

pirate  (n.)
1254, from O.Fr. pirate, from L. pirata "sailor, sea robber," from Gk. peirates "brigand, pirate," lit. "one who attacks," from peiran "to attack, make a hostile attempt on, try," from peira "trial, an attempt, attack," from PIE base *per- "try" (cf. L. peritus "experienced," periculum "trial, experiment, risk, danger," see peril). Meaning "one who takes another's work without permission" first recorded 1701; sense of "unlicensed radio broadcaster" is from 1913. The verb is first recorded 1574.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pi·rate
Pronunciation: 'pI-r&t
Function: noun
: a person who commits piracy

Main Entry: pirate
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: pi·rat·ed; pi·rat·ing
transitive verb : to take or appropriate by piracy; especially : to copy, distribute, or use without authorization esp. in infringement of copyright pirated software> <pirating cable signals> intransitive verb : to commit piracy —compare BOOTLEG
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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pirate
software pirate

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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