plagiarism
noun
Did you know?
Common Misspellings
plagarism, plagerism, plagirism
Did you know?
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 plagiarism in a Sentence
Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Aug. 2024
But that was happening before AI, which is called plagiarism.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2024
Perplexity is launching a program to share ad revenue with publishing partners following weeks of plagiarism accusations.
—Kylie Robison, The Verge, 30 July 2024
The move comes after plagiarism allegations from major media outlets, including Forbes, Wired, and Ars parent company Condé Nast.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for plagiarism 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plagiarism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near plagiarism
Cite this Entry
“Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share