# plagiarism

/ˈpɫeɪdʒɝˌɪzəm/ (US) · /plˈeɪdʒəɹˌɪzəm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/plagiarism
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. the act of stealing ideas

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

the act of copying someone else's work or ideas and pretending you created them.

For teachers: the act of appropriating the creative work or ideas of another and presenting them as one's own original contribution.

- The student failed the course because the teacher found plagiarism in his final essay.
- The university maintains a strict policy against plagiarism, requiring all students to sign a declaration of originality before submitting their dissertations.

Usage: Uncountable when referring to the general practice or concept.

### 2. a specific instance

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

a specific piece of writing or work that has been copied from someone else.

For teachers: a specific instance or example of plagiarised material within a larger work.

- The editor found several plagiarisms in the manuscript that had to be removed.
- The software identified three distinct plagiarisms where the author had lifted entire paragraphs from obscure nineteenth-century journals.

Usage: Countable when referring to individual cases or specific passages of copied text.

## Examples

- The student failed the course because of plagiarism.
- The university uses special software to check every essay for plagiarism before it is graded.
- While unintentional plagiarism can occur through poor note-taking, the academic community generally treats any failure to cite sources as a significant breach of ethical standards.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.