piracy

noun

ˈpī-rə-sē How to pronounce piracy (audio)
Definition of piracynext
as in pirating
the act or pursuit of robbing ships at sea many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of piracy The department had initially intercepted and inspected the shipment at the port based on a tip received by its counterfeit and piracy enforcement team, the department said in the release. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 The increase, however, still doesn’t match the scale of Somalia’s piracy crisis at its peak. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 This highlights a consistent and massive link between content piracy and the unregulated gambling economy. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Others can be reached through questionable streaming and piracy sites. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for piracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piracy
  1. pirating
  2. robbery
Noun
  • Shows had to be encrypted to prevent pirating, but easily viewable on Android, iOS, web and other platforms.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • No drugs were found, but Simpson’s home address had also come up during the investigation as one potentially linked to the purchase of satellite TV pirating equipment.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026
Definition of pirating
Noun
  • The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy and resisting arrest.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors said Flynn staged the shooting as a home-invasion robbery.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of robbery

Browse Nearby Words

piquing
piracy
piragua
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piracy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on piracy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about piracy

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All