pirate

CEFRB1

/ˈpaɪɹət/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person who attacks and robs ships at sea.

  2. 02

    verb

    To copy or use something illegally.

Examples

  • Christopher Columbus enjoyed the torrents of Pirate Bay and would often go surfing there.

  • The Pirate Party could mature into a political driving force.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /paiɾeːʈ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. An armed ship or vessel that sails for the purpose of plundering other vessels.

  2. One who breaks intellectual property laws by reproducing protected works without permission.

  3. A criminal who plunders at sea; commonly attacking merchant vessels, though often pillaging port towns.

More examples

In context

  • There were reports that a pirate ship had come looking for treasure in the cove.

  • And Gnutella, Freenet and other pirate tools will offer plunderings beyond Fanning's fantasies.

  • They pirated the tanker and sailed to a port where they could sell the ship and cargo.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The legendary blank buried a treasure chest on the island.

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Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English pirate, pirat, pyrat, from Old French pirate, from Latin pīrāta (“pirate”), from Ancient Greek πειρατής (peiratḗs), from πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt, plot”). Displaced native Old English wīċing, which was the word for both "pirate" and "viking".