privateer

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

pri•va•teer /ˌpraɪvəˈtɪr/   n. [countable]

1. Naval Terms a privately owned ship hired to fight or bother enemy ships.
2. Naval Terms the captain or a crew member of such a vessel.

See -priv-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pri•va•teer  (prī′və tēr′), n. 

1. Nautical, Naval Terms an armed ship that is privately owned and manned, commissioned by a government to fight or harass enemy ships.
2. Nautical, Naval Terms privateersman.

v.i. 

3. Nautical, Naval Terms to cruise as a privateer.

• private + -eer, modeled on volunteer 1640–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

privateer / ˌpraɪvəˈtɪə/ 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)

1. to serve as a privateer