corsair

noun

cor·sair ˈkȯr-ˌser

kȯr-ˈser

Synonyms of corsair next

: pirate

especially : a privateer of the Barbary Coast

Examples of corsair in a Sentence

no one knows the fate of the corsair's treasure-filled ship

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Freed from a Mediterranean Sea crowded with Ottoman fleets and North African corsairs, the Atlantic upstarts unleashed themselves on the world’s oceans. —

Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2015 But the stealthy corsair, evading her pursuer, slipped to safety in Tripoli’s shallow harbor—and then, suddenly, disaster struck the Philadelphia. —

Mark G. Spencer, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2023 Queen of the seas, Britain seemed to countenance the pirating activities of the North African corsairs. —

Thomas Wendel, National Review, 4 July 2024 From ancient Norse princess Alfhild to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs, these women sailed beside–and sometimes in command of–male pirates. —

Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French corsaire pirate, from Old Occitan corsari, from Old Italian corsaro, from Medieval Latin cursarius, from Latin cursus course — more at course

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of corsair was in 1549

See more words from the same year