What does plagiarizing mean?
Plagiarizing means using someone else's words, ideas, expressions, or creative work without giving proper credit, thereby presenting borrowed material as your own. The word is especially associated with schools, universities, publishing, and creative work, but the conduct can occur in any context where originality and attribution matter. Plagiarizing is not limited to verbatim copying; presenting another person's distinctive ideas as your own can also be plagiarism. Quotation, citation, paraphrase, and acknowledgment can help a writer incorporate outside material responsibly, provided the source is identified and the use is fair. The term carries a strongly negative moral and legal connotation. In academic settings, plagiarism may lead to penalties ranging from a failed assignment to expulsion, while in publishing and other professional fields it can result in reputational damage, legal disputes, or withdrawal of a work.
verbPresent participle of plagiarize: to use another person's words, ideas, or creative work as your own without giving appropriate credit. It also means to copy material from a source in a way that presents it as original.
- To copy and present another person's words, ideas, or creative work as one's own without proper attribution.
- To reproduce material from a source in a way that amounts to unauthorized appropriation, especially in academic or creative work.
"The student was accused of plagiarizing passages from the published article."
"The author was criticized for plagiarizing an entire chapter from another book."
"Good documentation helps prevent researchers from accidentally plagiarizing published work."
From Latin, plagiarism originally referred to kidnapping: the word's history turns theft of ideas into a digital-age problem.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plagiarizing come from?
The word comes from Latin plagiarize, “to kidnap,” formed from plagiarius, a thief or kidnapper, and plagiarium, the act of kidnapping. The sense developed from the unlawful taking of people to the broader idea of stealing intellectual work. English borrowed the term in the early 17th century, initially in legal and literary contexts, and the modern academic sense became established later.
Related word forms
How plagiarizing is actually used
Plagiarizing is the present-participle form of plagiarize and is commonly used after forms of the verb “be” or in sentences such as “accused of plagiarizing.” It is not limited to copying text exactly: appropriating another's ideas or creative expression without credit can also constitute plagiarism.
Easily confused with plagiarizing
Plagiarized is the standard past-tense form in US English, while plagiarised is the common British spelling.
Plagiarizing is the action of using another's work without credit, whereas plagiarism names the practice or offense itself.