# plagiarized

/ˈpɫeɪdʒɝˌaɪzd/ (US) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/plagiarized
Updated: 2026-10-13

## Definition

describing work that has been copied from someone else without giving them credit. You use this when someone steals another person's ideas or writing and pretends it is their own.

For teachers: copied from another source and presented as one's own original work. Often used to describe academic or creative content that lacks proper attribution.

## Examples

- The student failed because his essay was plagiarized.
- The journalist lost her job after the editor discovered that several paragraphs in her article were plagiarized from a rival newspaper.
- Although the author claimed the similarities were accidental, the committee concluded that the manuscript was plagiarized, citing nearly identical phrasing across three separate chapters.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He plagiarized from the book." but "He plagiarized the book." — The word is transitive; you plagiarize the work itself, not 'from' the work.

## Usage notes

- Often follows a linking verb like 'is' or 'was', or appears before a noun like 'essay' or 'content'.

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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.