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History vocabulary · Wars, Treaties and Diplomacy

Privateer

Meaning in history, with examples

nounCommon term

In history, privateer means: A privately operated armed vessel, or its operator, authorized by a government to attack enemy shipping.

In Turkish: devlet izinli korsan, özel savaş gemisi işletmecisi

How it is used

The authorization distinguishes privateering from unauthorized piracy; recognition could still be disputed.

Example sentences

  1. The privateer brought a captured merchant ship into port.

    A private vessel carries out hostilities under claimed state authority.

  2. Investors shared the cost of fitting out a privateer.

    Private finance supported a vessel used for wartime attacks.

Common collocations

  • fit out a privateer
  • privateer captain
  • campaignA series of military operations carried out over a period of time in one area or with one main aim, such as capturing a city or defeating an enemy army.
  • trade routeA regular path by land, river or sea along which merchants carried goods between regions, such as the Silk Road or the spice routes of the Indian Ocean.

More terms: Wars, Treaties and Diplomacy

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