plural piracies
1
: an act of robbery on the high seas
also
: an act resembling such robbery
2
: robbery on the high seas
3
a
: the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright
b
: the illicit accessing of broadcast signals
Examples of piracy in a Sentence
piracy on the high seas
many countries have harsh penalties for piracy now
Recent Examples on the Web
And perhaps Discord did see evidence of software piracy in these Discords.
—
Sean Hollister, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Also during Tuesday’s State of the Industry address, Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin underscored the dangers of piracy on the business.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
If deterrence is not restored, Iran’s region-wide campaign of terrorism and piracy will continue apace.
—The Editors, National Review, 12 Jan. 2024
Enlarge Getty For the third time in less than a year, film studios with copyright infringement complaints against a cable Internet provider are trying to force Reddit to share information about users who have discussed piracy on the site.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 12 Jan. 2024
The solution to stopping piracy, at least in Rivkin’s eyes, is to prevent users from accessing piracy websites altogether.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 9 Apr. 2024
Obituary spam is an especially grim type of digital piracy, where people attempt to make money by scraping and republishing death notices, sometimes on social platforms like YouTube.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2024
The bar's name comes from the pirate Jean Lafitte, who was rumored to have used the building for smuggling and piracy.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2024
Warning messages and small behavioral nudges have been used in multiple ways to change people’s behavior online, from piracy and copyright infringement to gambling.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024
Sean Hollister, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Also during Tuesday’s State of the Industry address, Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin underscored the dangers of piracy on the business.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
If deterrence is not restored, Iran’s region-wide campaign of terrorism and piracy will continue apace.
—The Editors, National Review, 12 Jan. 2024
Enlarge Getty For the third time in less than a year, film studios with copyright infringement complaints against a cable Internet provider are trying to force Reddit to share information about users who have discussed piracy on the site.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 12 Jan. 2024
The solution to stopping piracy, at least in Rivkin’s eyes, is to prevent users from accessing piracy websites altogether.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 9 Apr. 2024
Obituary spam is an especially grim type of digital piracy, where people attempt to make money by scraping and republishing death notices, sometimes on social platforms like YouTube.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2024
The bar's name comes from the pirate Jean Lafitte, who was rumored to have used the building for smuggling and piracy.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2024
Warning messages and small behavioral nudges have been used in multiple ways to change people’s behavior online, from piracy and copyright infringement to gambling.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'piracy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near piracy
Cite this Entry
“Piracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piracy. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
piracy
noun
pi·ra·cy
ˈpī-rə-sē 
plural piracies
1
: robbery on the high seas
2
: the use of another's production or invention without permission
Legal Definition
piracy
noun
pi·ra·cy
ˈpī-rə-sē
plural piracies
1
: an act of robbery especially on the high seas
specifically
: an illegal act of violence, detention, or plunder committed for private ends by crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship or aircraft on the high seas or in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state see also air piracy
2
a
: the unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of another's production (as a film) especially in infringement of a copyright
software piracy
b
: the unauthorized use, interception, or receipt of encoded communications (as satellite cable programming) especially to avoid paying fees for use
the statute's purpose is to proscribe the piracy of programming signals—United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)
United States v. Harrell, 983 F.2d 36 (1993)3
: the crime of committing piracy
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