privateer

Definition of Privateer in English :

1. privateer, privateersman

an officer or crew member of a privateer

2. privateer

a privately owned warship commissioned to prey on the commercial shipping or warships of an enemy nation

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Privateer

noun

1.

an armed, privately owned vessel commissioned for war service by a government

2. Also called: privateersman

a commander or member of the crew of a privateer

3.

a competitor, esp in motor racing, who is privately financed rather than sponsored by a manufacturer

verb (intransitive)

4.

to serve as a privateer

noun

1.

a privately owned and manned armed ship commissioned by a government in a war to attack and capture enemy ships, esp. merchant ships

2.

a commander or crew member of a privateer

: also ; US ˌprivaˈteersman (ˌpraɪvəˈtɪrzmən ; prīˌvətirzˈmən) Word forms: plural ˌprivaˈteersmen (ˌpraɪvətɪrmən ; prīˌvətirmən)

verb intransitive

3.

to sail as a privateer

n.

1. A ship privately owned and crewed but authorized by a government during wartime to attack and capture enemy vessels.

2. The commander or one of the crew of such a ship.

intr.v. pri·va·teered, pri·va·teer·ing, pri·va·teers

To sail as a privateer.