plagiarize

verb

pla·gia·rize ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz

also -jē-ə-

plagiarized; plagiarizing

Synonyms of plagiarize next

transitive verb

: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

intransitive verb

: to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

plagiarizer noun

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The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize

If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.

Examples of plagiarize in a Sentence

He plagiarized a classmate's report. She plagiarized from an article she read on the Internet.

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.

In fact, literary historians believe the canonical Dracula borrowed or plagiarized tropes from the novella as source material. —

Sally Tamarkin, Them, 23 Dec. 2024 Min accused the new band of deliberately plagiarizing NewJeans’ look, music and choreography, an allegation the label has denied. —

Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024 The research misconduct allegations keep coming at Harvard, as a leading neuroscientist is now under the microscope for possibly falsifying data and plagiarizing images in his groundbreaking research about aggressive brain tumors and stem cells. —

Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 2 Feb. 2024 News outlets have argued that OpenAI and Microsoft — which is in business with OpenAI and also has been sued by The Mercury News — have plagiarized and stole its articles, undermining their business models. —

Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for plagiarize