piracy
noun
Simple meaning
The unauthorized duplication of goods protected by intellectual property law.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pyruhseeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpaɪɹəsi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The unauthorized duplication of goods protected by intellectual property law.
Hijacking on the high seas or in similar contexts; taking a ship or plane away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it
A similar violation of international law, such as hijacking of an aircraft.
The operation of an unlicensed radio or television station.
crimenautical
Robbery at sea, a violation of international law; taking a ship away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The unauthorized duplication of goods protected by intellectual property law.
Used this way, piracy is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Law/legal
- Government/politics
- Academic writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use piracy
- “The company reported an increase in software piracy due to illegal downloads.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Hijacking / robbery
Operation
Other combinations
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.