From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbuccaneerbuc‧ca‧neer /ˌbʌkəˈnɪə $ -ˈnɪr/ noun [countable] 1 STEALsomeone who attacks ships at sea and steals from them SYN pirate2 SUCCESSFULsomeone who is very successful, especially in business, but may not be honest
Examples from the Corpus
buccaneer• Now he looked like Picasso imitating Ghandi imitating a buccaneer.• He was a buccaneer, and Edward admired that.• Certainty is also threatened by the work of fraudsters, forgers, and modern day pirates and buccaneers.• It reminded him of pirates and buccaneers and fearless men who roamed the high seas in search of adventure.• Add thigh-high buccaneer boots in suedes and velvets.• Athenian politics will be the poorer without this charming and peculiarly idealistic buccaneer.• Ted Turner, the television buccaneer who gave a brash persona to the New South.• They were buccaneers, not careerists, and did not belong to the City proper.From Longman Business Dictionarybuccaneerbuc‧ca‧neer /ˌbʌkəˈnɪə-ˈnɪr/ noun [countable] someone who succeeds in business by taking risks and using skill and determination, and sometimes cheating if necessaryAirlines attracted the attention of corporate buccaneers. —buccaneering adjective [only before a noun]the buccaneering spirit of the company’s founderOrigin buccaneer (1600-1700) French boucanier “person living in the forest in the West Indies, buccaneer”, from boucaner “to dry meat in a wooden frame over a fire”, from boucan “wooden frame”, from Tupi 