PIRATE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pirate mean? 

• PIRATE (noun)
  The noun PIRATE has 3 senses:

1. someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own

2. someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation

3. a ship that is manned by pirates

  Familiarity information: PIRATE used as a noun is uncommon.

• PIRATE (verb)
  The verb PIRATE has 2 senses:

1. copy illegally; of published material

2. take arbitrarily or by force

  Familiarity information: PIRATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PIRATE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

literary pirate; pirate; plagiariser; plagiarist; plagiarizer

Hypernyms ("pirate" is a kind of...):

stealer; thief (a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it)

Derivation:

pirate (copy illegally; of published material)

piratical (characteristic of pirates)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

buccaneer; pirate; sea robber; sea rover

Hypernyms ("pirate" is a kind of...):

despoiler; freebooter; looter; pillager; plunderer; raider; spoiler (someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pirate"):

Barbary pirate; corsair (a pirate along the Barbary Coast)

sea king (a Viking pirate chief)

Instance hyponyms:

Jean Laffite; Jean Lafitte; Laffite; Lafitte (French pirate who aided the United States in the War of 1812 and received an official pardon for his crimes (1780-1826))

Henry Morgan; Morgan; Sir Henry Morgan (a Welsh buccaneer who raided Spanish colonies in the West Indies for the English (1635-1688))

Bartholomew Roberts; Roberts (a Welsh pirate credited with having taken more than 400 ships (1682-1722))

Blackbeard; Edward Teach; Edward Thatch; Teach; Thatch (an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean and off the Atlantic coast of North America (died in 1718))

Derivation:

piratical (characteristic of pirates)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A ship that is manned by pirates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

pirate; pirate ship

Hypernyms ("pirate" is a kind of...):

ship (a vessel that carries passengers or freight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pirate"):

corsair (a swift pirate ship (often operating with official sanction))

Derivation:

pirate (take arbitrarily or by force)

piratical (characteristic of pirates)

• PIRATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they pirate    ... he / she / it pirates   
Past simple: pirated   
Past participle: pirated   
-ing form: pirating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Copy illegally; of published material

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "pirate" is one way to...):

rip; rip off; steal (take without the owner's consent)

Domain category:

crime; criminal offence; criminal offense; law-breaking ((criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue pirate the movie

Derivation:

piracy (the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own)

pirate (someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take arbitrarily or by force

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

commandeer; highjack; hijack; pirate

Context example:

The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami

Hypernyms (to "pirate" is one way to...):

seize (take or capture by force)

Domain category:

crime; criminal offence; criminal offense; law-breaking ((criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pirate"):

skyjack (subject an aircraft to air piracy)

carjack (take someone's car from him by force, usually with the intention of stealing it)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

piracy (hijacking on the high seas or in similar contexts; taking a ship or plane away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it)

pirate (a ship that is manned by pirates)

 Context examples 

Their design was to turn pirates and, plunder the Spaniards, which they could not do till they got more men.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

She's sailed with England, the great Cap'n England, the pirate.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

You are well-rounded, a blue-stocking fit to be the wife of a pirate chief.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Have you searched for hidden treasure, or discovered a pole, or done time on a pirate, or flown the Channel, or what?

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Ere the pirate chief could repeat it, however, John's iron grip fell upon his wrist, and he found that for once he was in the hands of a stronger man than himself.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I went over and read:—"Edward Spencelagh, master mariner, murdered by pirates off the coast of Andres, April, 1854, æt. 30."

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

An English hero of the road would be the next best thing to an Italian bandit; and that could only be surpassed by a Levantine pirate.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

'Up with the jib, reef the tops'l halliards, helm hard alee, and man the guns!' roared the captain, as a Portuguese pirate hove in sight, with a flag black as ink flying from her foremast. 'Go in and win, my hearties!' says the captain, and a tremendous fight began. Of course the British beat—they always do.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

It is quite clear that the colonel was a cool and desperate man, who was absolutely determined that nothing should stand in the way of his little game, like those out-and-out pirates who will leave no survivor from a captured ship.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Here and there the pale, aquiline features of a sporting Corinthian recalled rather the Norman type, but in the main these stolid, heavy-jowled faces, belonging to men whose whole life was a battle, were the nearest suggestion which we have had in modern times of those fierce pirates and rovers from whose loins we have sprung.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)