pirate

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Perhaps we need to go back in time even further for a pirate is a robber who travels by water.

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Definitions (26)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (9)

  1. noun One who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation.
  2. noun A ship used for this purpose.
  3. noun One who preys on others; a plunderer.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (9)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (5)

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Examples (50)

  • But the blood-curse that made him a pirate was a tragedy not of his making, as are the politics that made him resent my country. —  Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel 02 - Kushiel's Chosen
  • "Ah, but my lord Archon, you never asked if I had a consort I asked You asked if the pirate was her consort, Demetrios," Timanthes called, flushed with wine and high spirits. —  Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel 02 - Kushiel's Chosen
  • Now where in the hell in that post does it say that a pirate was at a gun show buying weapons? —  Democratic National Committee
  • Perhaps we need to go back in time even further for a pirate is a robber who travels by water. —  Alternate Brain
  • They told how the chief engineer led one of the Somali pirates into the dark engine room, where the pirate was attacked. —  Kansas City Star: Front Page
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Words tagged pirate

water-thief · harbor-pirate · busk · sea-wolf · sea-rover · sea-robber · sea-rat · sea-dog · sallee-man · rover · reprise

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Stats

This word has been looked up 585 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Suggestions Wordniks Suggest

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

robber ·  rebel ·  thief ·  bandit ·  outlaw ·  warrior ·  barbarian ·  assassin ·  adventurer ·  villain ·  invader ·  brigand

Used in the same contextWord Family

pirate:   pirates ·  Pirates ·  pirated
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pīrāta, from Greek peirātēs, from peirān, to attempt, from peira, trial; see per-3 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also pirat, pyrate, pyrat; = Dutch piraat = G. Swedish Danish pirat; from Old French pirate, French pirate = Spanish Portuguese Italian pirata, from Latin pirata, a pirate, from Greek πειρατής, a pirate, literally one who attacks or attempts, from πειρᾱν, attempt, try, attack, from πεῑρα, an attempt, trial, attack, assault, akin to πορᾱν, pass over or through, pass, from πόρος, passage, etc., and to English fare: see fare. Cf. empiric, etc.
  2. from pirate, n.
 

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/ˈpaɪrət/
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