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privateer

noun · verb

Simple meaning

To function under official sanction permitting attacks on enemy shipping and seizing ship and cargo.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pryvuhtir

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹaɪvəˈtɪɹ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An advocate or beneficiary of privatization of a government service or activity.

verb

  1. To function under official sanction permitting attacks on enemy shipping and seizing ship and cargo; to engage in government-sponsored piracy.

  2. To advocate or benefit from privatization of government services.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Function / privately

privateer captain

Private / racing

privateer schooner

Other combinations

american privateerenglish privateerbritish privateerspanish privateerconfederate privateerprivateer brig

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • privateadjectiveBase word

    Confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • privatelyadverbDerived adverb

    Kept private or confined to those intimately concerned.

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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.