1. Plural of barrater; persons who engage in barratry (the fraudulent breach of duty by a ship's master or crew, or the practice of inciting lawsuits).
Usage: legal/maritime; archaic or formal

Examples

• The maritime court prosecuted the barraters for deliberately damaging the cargo.
• Historical records identified several barraters who had defrauded ship owners.
• Insurance policies protected merchants against losses caused by barraters at sea.
• The captain and crew were accused of being barraters after the suspicious shipwreck.
• Medieval law codes contained strict penalties for barraters engaged in maritime fraud.