freebooter


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free·boot·er

 (frē′bo͞o′tər)
n.
A person who pillages and plunders, especially a pirate.
[Dutch vrijbuiter, from vrijbuit, plunder : vrij, free; see prī- in Indo-European roots + buit, booty (from Middle Dutch būte, of Middle Low German origin).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

freebooter

(ˈfriːˌbuːtə)
n
1. a person, such as a pirate, living from plunder
2. informal a person, esp an itinerant, who seeks pleasure, wealth, etc, without responsibility
[C16: from Dutch vrijbuiter, from vrijbuit booty; see filibuster]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

free•boot•er

(ˈfriˌbu tər)

n.
a person who goes about in search of plunder; pirate; buccaneer.
[1560–70; Anglicization of Dutch vrijbuiter]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.freebooter - someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war)freebooter - someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war)
despoiler, looter, pillager, plunderer, raider, spoiler
war, warfare - the waging of armed conflict against an enemy; "thousands of people were killed in the war"
buccaneer, sea robber, sea rover, pirate - someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation
stealer, thief - a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

freebooter

[ˈfriːbuːtəʳ] N → filibustero m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
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References in classic literature ?
To-morrow I would be an oyster pirate, as free a freebooter as the century and the waters of San Francisco Bay would permit.
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He was a genial freebooter, living off the enemy, without fear or shame.
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Having come Unto a State that champions right and asks For every action warranty of law, Thou hast set aside the custom of the land, And like some freebooter art carrying off What plunder pleases thee, as if forsooth Thou thoughtest this a city without men, Or manned by slaves, and me a thing of naught.
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Don Quixote felt them, and guessed at once what it was, and said to Sancho, "Thou hast nothing to be afraid of, for these feet and legs that thou feelest but canst not see belong no doubt to some outlaws and freebooters that have been hanged on these trees; for the authorities in these parts are wont to hang them up by twenties and thirties when they catch them; whereby I conjecture that I must be near Barcelona;" and it was, in fact, as he supposed; with the first light they looked up and saw that the fruit hanging on those trees were freebooters' bodies.
And now day dawned; and if the dead freebooters had scared them, their hearts were no less troubled by upwards of forty living ones, who all of a sudden surrounded them, and in the Catalan tongue bade them stand and wait until their captain came up.
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If Crooks and M'Lellan had been exasperated by the insolent conduct of the Sioux Tetons, and the loss which it had occasioned, those freebooters had been no less indignant at being outwitted by the white men, and disappointed of their anticipated gains, and it was apprehended they would be particularly hostile against the present expedition, when they should learn that these gentlemen were engaged in it.
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In examining their deserted camp, Captain Bonneville discovered that it numbered thirty-nine fires, and had more reason than ever to congratulate himself on having escaped the clutches of such a formidable band of freebooters.
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Even the fierce freebooters who go raiding on other people's land, and Jove gives them their spoil--even they, when they have filled their ships and got home again live conscience-stricken, and look fearfully for judgement; but some god seems to have told these people that Ulysses is dead and gone; they will not, therefore, go back to their own homes and make their offers of marriage in the usual way, but waste his estate by force, without fear or stint.
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At the end of three days Robin set him free, and sent him forth from the forest with a guard of yeomen to keep freebooters from taking what was left of the packs and bundles.
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For by some curious fatality, as it is often noted of your metropolitan freebooters that they ever encamp around the halls of justice, so sinners, gentlemen, most abound in holiest vicinities.
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Very highly recommended for both community and school library collections, "Granuaile: The Pirate Queen" is a superbly illustrated biography about an unusual and historic Irish icon and fearless leader who became a 16th century pirate and freebooter will have a very special appeal to young readers ages 7-12.
Granuaile: The Pirate Queen
A Robin-Hood-like American patriot and the most famous freebooter of all time, Blackbeard was illegally hunted down by Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood, the British Crown's man in Williamsburg obsessed with his capture.
Blackbeard: The Birth of America

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