pirates 1 of 2

noun

plural of pirate
as in buccaneers
someone who engages in robbery of ships at sea Sir Francis Drake was a British pirate who preyed on Spanish ships with the connivance of Elizabeth I

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pirates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pirate
as in seizes
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right using pirated software that was subject to copyright

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pirates
Noun
The pirates are believed to have kept the crew supplied with food during the hijacking. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Their journey brings them into conflict with pirates seeking control of the sacred water on which their community depends. — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026 Knights in shining armor, pirates and princesses grace the grounds of Sleepy Hollow for the annual Renaissance Faire in Des Moines. — Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 6 Sep. 2026 But the rollicking jollity that accompanies the final two acts, which includes the entrance of pirates and the abduction of Marina to a brothel, robs the ending of some of its pathos. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Speaking of singing pirates, Curry clearly fancied these kinds of roles, signing on to play the villainous Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Brian Henson’s musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel. — ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 That is up from Politico’s report that Somali pirates had seized at least three tankers carrying oil and fertilizer since April, while a chemical-carrying ship was hijacked off Yemen in July. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Though the pirates and villagers celebrate the defeat of Wapol, One Piece season 2 ends with Luffy agreeing to help Princess Vivi, whose homeland of Alabasta is the target of a dangerous plot hatched by Baroque Works. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Aug. 2026 The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, which has been tracking the 2026 resurgence, recently said in a report that pirates demanded as much as $10 million for the release of the Eureka, which was seized on May 2. — Aparajita Saxena, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirates
  1. buccaneers
  2. seizes
  3. corsairs
  4. claims
  5. raiders
  6. steals
  7. confiscates
  8. converts
Noun
  • The conference curated a world of coming wonders for several hundred C-suite buccaneers who had paid up to fifty thousand dollars apiece to update their mental models and investment portfolios.
    — Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Definition of buccaneers
Verb
  • That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Wilson, meanwhile, seizes on the opening to play teacher’s pet.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of seizes
Noun
  • Courtesy Luxury Living Costa Rica Three centuries before wealthy investors sought out trophy holdings along Costa Rica’s untamed Pacific coast, these shores were a theater of conquistadors, corsairs and cannon fire.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • After the Revolutionary War, the United States maintained no standing fleet, but attacks by the Barbary pirates—corsairs based in North Africa who preyed on American merchant ships and took sailors ransom—drove Congress to reestablish a navy in the 1790s.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Definition of corsairs
Verb
  • On the day Erica and Peter moved into 150 Charles, their attorney claims, they were greeted with a cluttered and dirty space that didn’t square with the $26,000-a-month rent.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The lawsuit claims that some of them wrote essays to the school to reduce their disciplinary action, according to her attorney.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of claims
Noun
  • Frank and Jesse James rode with them as the raiders killed 150 to 200 men and boys and burned down nearly every business on Massachusetts Street, as well as dozens of homes.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons is days away, roster cuts are next Sunday, and the season opener at the Las Vegas raiders is three weeks away.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of raiders
Verb
  • If malware steals an active login session, an attacker may be able to access an account without typing your password again.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • And Michael Rishawn almost steals the show with his delicious comic turn as the restaurant host, as well as other ancillary characters.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of steals
Verb
  • Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of confiscates
Verb
  • The system generates electrical power and converts it into a highly concentrated beam.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Denying the incident or moving to an offensive posture converts a complaint about a product into a statement about character—and that’s much harder to walk back.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of converts

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pirates
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Cite this Entry

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

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