Library / English Dictionary

PIRATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A ship that is manned by pirates

Synonyms:

pirate; pirate ship

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

buccaneer; pirate; sea robber; sea rover

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

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:

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

Synonyms:

literary pirate; pirate; plagiariser; plagiarist; plagiarizer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

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)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take arbitrarily or by force

Example:

The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami

Synonyms:

commandeer; highjack; hijack; pirate

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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)

Sense 2

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)

Credits

 Context examples: 

And if them pirates camp ashore, Jim, what would you say but there'd be widders in the morning?

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

It was a sea-fitting for the buccaneers and pirates of by-gone years.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

When I was at some distance from the pirates, I discovered, by my pocket-glass, several islands to the south-east.

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

But there is a certain villainous and bloodthirsty Norman pirate hight Tete-noire, who, with a Genoan called Tito Caracci, commonly known as Spade-beard, hath been a mighty scourge upon these coasts.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Having taken the pirate captain prisoner, sailed slap over the schooner, whose decks were piled high with dead and whose lee scuppers ran blood, for the order had been 'Cutlasses, and die hard!' 'Bosun's mate, take a bight of the flying-jib sheet, and start this villain if he doesn't confess his sins double quick,' said the British captain.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Well, that was about the last news we had of the three pirates.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The largest of the two pirate ships was commanded by a Japanese captain, who spoke a little Dutch, but very imperfectly.

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

Sir Nigel turned upon his heel, while two seamen cast a noose over the pirate's neck.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I never have seen men more dreadfully affected than the pirates.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

About an hour before we saw the pirates I had taken an observation, and found we were in the latitude of 46 N. and longitude of 183.

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