plunder

1 of 2

verb

plun·​der ˈplən-dər How to pronounce plunder (audio)
plundered; plundering ˈplən-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce plunder (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to take the goods of by force (as in war) : pillage, sack
invaders plundered the town
b
: to take by force or wrongfully : steal, loot
plundered artifacts from the tomb
2
: to make extensive use of as if by plundering : use or use up wrongfully
plunder the land

intransitive verb

: to commit robbery or looting
plunderer noun

plunder

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act of plundering : pillaging
2
: something taken by force, theft, or fraud : loot
3
chiefly dialectal : personal or household effects
Choose the Right Synonym for plunder

spoil, plunder, booty, prize, loot mean something taken from another by force or craft.

spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

Examples of plunder in a Sentence

Verb The village was plundered by the invading army. Thieves had long ago plundered the tomb. The soldiers continued plundering for days. Noun the plunder of the village All evidence suggested that the plunder of the tomb had happened long ago.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The game lays it on thick, with cutscenes bordering on comedy that tout Earth’s united and militaristic regime, having already plundered the galaxy. Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 When trust is the order of the day, predators are free to plunder. Jim McDermott, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024 Of course, having the staff of a successful team plundered is business as usual in the NFL. Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2024 The museum’s 2014 decision to plunder the Corcoran’s art collection was a low point in its relationship with the public and the people of Washington. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023 During the three weeks leading into the 2023 season, the Pac-12 was plundered by its Power Five competitors. Ralph D. Russo, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2024 The Sun’s new owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s David Smith, made his fortune plundering local broadcast news, draining their local community value and turning them into outlets centered on national politics, rather than local issues, with a right-wing slant that mirrored his own. Matthew Jordan, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024 The documentary follows the journey of 26 royal treasures plundered by French colonial troops in the Kingdom of Dahomey, which have been exhibited at the Musée du Quai de Branly in Paris and are being returned to Cotonou in Benin. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 22 Jan. 2024 The story is simple: In 168 B.C., a Syrian/Greek king named Antiochus captured Jerusalem and plundered the temple. Kathleen Purvis, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
In the early days of D&D, many scenarios were fairly linear — enter dungeon, defeat monsters and plunder, assuming your characters survive. Daniel E. Slotnik, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024 Cortés and his men are rough mercenaries who rape, plunder and murder without compunction. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 In centuries past, the dark undercurrent to the Netherlands’ prosperity was the plunder of its colonial possessions; a legacy the state has just started to reckon with, as late last year Rutte’s government apologized for the country’s role in the slave trade. April Roach, Fortune Europe, 21 Nov. 2023 Beneath this straight-to-streaming-series layer of camera-ready scammers, there is a more substantial plunder going on in executive suites all across the country. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2023 The value of bitcoin can also rise, giving fraudsters a way to increase their plunder. Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2023 In spite of all the murder and plunder and betrayal, the Osage still endure. David Klion, The New Republic, 21 Oct. 2023 Famed archaeologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald hid the collection from the invaders for the next three years, at one point swapping the skulls for plaster casts for fear of plunder. Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023 Hanson is one of the authors of a report due to be released this month by the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative examining the plunder of cultural heritage in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Artem Grudinin, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plunder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

German plündern

First Known Use

Verb

1632, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plunder was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near plunder

Cite this Entry

“Plunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plunder. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plunder

1 of 2 verb
plun·​der ˈplən-dər How to pronounce plunder (audio)
plundered; plundering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce plunder (audio)
: to rob especially openly and by force (as in a raid)
plunderer noun

plunder

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of plundering
2
: something taken by force or theft : loot

More from Merriam-Webster on plunder

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