Meaning of Privateer | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A privately owned warship that acted under a letter of marque to attack enemy merchant ships and take possession of their cargo.
   historical
2. An officer or any other member of the crew of such a ship; a government-sanctioned pirate.
   historical
3. An advocate or beneficiary of privatization of a government service or activity.
4. A private individual entrant into a race or competition who does not have the backing of a large, professional team.
   Australia, Canada, US
5. A racing team that is not a subsidiary of a large conglomerate, or automotive or vehicle manufacturer.

Equivalents

Examples

“Kidd soon threw off the character of a privateer and became a pirate.”

“This is a major victory, not only for CUPW because it will deter profit-hungry privateers from taking work away from CUPW members, but also because it gives union protection to those employed by the privateers.”

“Privateers, such as Osborne and Gaebler, promise that good competition will not become bad — will not become cutthroat competition — if good competition is "carefully structured and managed;"”

“For example, when water workers leader Abelardo de Oliveira Filho says, […] investigations initiated by PSI in carrying out the mandate their members gave them to resist the privatization of water, to look into how the privateers worked”

“Privatization advocates, or “privateers,” peddle the simple message that privatization is always good.”

CEFR level