plagiarism
Americannoun
-
plagiarisms
plural
-
an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author.
It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne.
- Synonyms:
- cribbing, borrowing, theft, piracy, infringement, appropriation
-
a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation.
“These two manuscripts are clearly plagiarisms,” the editor said, tossing them angrily on the floor.
noun
-
the act of plagiarizing
-
something plagiarized
Discover More
Similar theft in music or other arts is also called plagiarism.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of plagiarism
First recorded in 1615–25; plagiar(y) + -ism
Explanation
When you rip off someone else's ideas or work and pretend it's your own, that's plagiarism. There's a fine line between borrowing and stealing — between plagiarism and theft — and it's often open to debate what actually constitutes an outright taking of someone's material. As Einstein once said, "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." From the Latin word for "kidnapped," when you plagiarize, you are being an intellectual thief, kidnapping someone else's ideas or words for your own purposes.
Vocabulary lists containing plagiarism
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Arday, 41, resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education last week after allegations of plagiarism and questions about some of his achievements.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for "reflection" Saturday after the death of Jason Arday, as the former Cambridge academic's family denounced what they called years of harassment amid plagiarism accusations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
At the top of the Times is the news that ex-Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who has been at the centre of a row in-part focused on accusations of plagiarism, has been found dead.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row, has been found dead.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
This is quite possible—Bruno does similar things in his published texts and, as we have seen, the concept of plagiarism was a novel one.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
That a lot of these supposed plagiarisms were things in speeches, or I guess also in books.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2013
I doubt that a single person could track down all the plagiarisms in QR Markham's spy novel Assassin of Secrets; but a group certainly could and did, and with remarkable speed.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2012
Now--after New York Times reporter Jayson Blair was caught in a string of plagiarisms and fabrications, ultimately leading to a staff revolt and the resignation of Times executive editor Howell Raines--it seems prescient.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dickens' novels are hardly less theatrical, as his contemporaries realized to their quick profit: several stage plagiarisms of Nicholas Nickleby were on the London boards before the novel's serial publication was complete.
From Time Magazine Archive
Of course Handel’s plagiarisms would have damaged his reputation if contemporaries had known of them.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 8 "Haller, Albrecht" to "Harmonium" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
