Word
pirate
Phoneticspi·rate
US/ˈpaɪɹət/
UK/pˈaɪɹət/
Definitions
01sea criminal
n. a person on a ship who attacks other ships at sea to steal their cargo.
n. a person who commits robbery or violence at sea, typically by attacking merchant vessels.
“The captain warned the crew to watch for pirates in the dangerous waters.”
“Historically, pirates operated in regions where central naval authority was weak, allowing them to plunder merchant shipping with relative impunity.”
02copyright violator
n. someone who illegally copies and shares things like movies, music, or computer programs.
n. a person who infringes on intellectual property rights by reproducing or distributing protected works without authorization.
“The software company is trying to stop pirates from sharing their new game online.”
“Digital pirates often use encrypted networks to distribute high-definition copies of films before their official theatrical release.”
Synonyms
03sports team member
n. a player or fan of a sports team called the Pirates.
n. a member, coach, or supporter of any athletic organization using 'Pirates' as their official moniker.
“He has been a lifelong Pirate and never misses a home game.”
“The veteran Pirate announced his retirement after leading the team to a surprising victory in the championship series.”
04to copy illegally
v. to illegally copy or download music, films, or software without paying.
v. to reproduce or distribute copyrighted material without the permission of the rights holder.
“It is much easier to pirate movies today than it was twenty years ago.”
“The studio estimated they lost millions in revenue because the blockbuster was pirated and uploaded to the internet weeks early.”
Synonyms
05to poach employees
v. to persuade a talented worker to leave their current company and join yours.
v. to recruit or entice an employee away from a competing organization.
“The tech giant tried to pirate the lead engineer from the smaller startup.”
“The firm was accused of unethical behavior after attempting to pirate several senior executives from its primary rival during a merger.”
Informal · Dialect
Usage
Commonly used in Philippine English and business contexts.
Teaching tip
While used globally in business as 'poaching', the specific term 'pirate' for recruitment is particularly common in the Philippines.
Synonyms
06illegal or unauthorized
adj. describes something that is an illegal copy or an unofficial broadcast.
adj. referring to products or broadcasts that are illegally produced or transmitted without a license.
“He bought a pirate DVD on the street, but the quality was terrible.”
“During the 1960s, pirate radio stations broadcast from ships in international waters to bypass strict government regulations on music.”
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Real-World Examples
“Among the latest vessels hijacked by the pirates was a Cameroon-flagged ship, the MV Lutuf, which was attacked off the coast of Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on 17 August.” “Since their discovery, scholars have debated who these men were, with theories ranging from foreign invaders and pirates to political rebels or local criminals.” Etymology
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".
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/pirate