plunder

verb plun·der \ ˈplən-dər \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of plunder

plundered; plundering play \ˈplən-d(ə-)riŋ\

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

play \ˈplən-dər-ər\ noun

See plunder defined for English-language learners

See plunder defined for kids

Examples of plunder in a Sentence

The village was plundered by the invading army.
Thieves had long ago plundered the tomb.
The soldiers continued plundering for days.

Recent Examples of plunder from the Web

Sutton netted 15 Premier League goals, while Shearer plundered as many as 34 to take the Golden Boot, with Blackburn unsurprisingly outscoring every other team in the division.

— SI.com, "7 Strike Partnerships That Led Their Teams to the Ultimate Prize," 5 Apr. 2018
Spanish police said in a statement that the two suspects led an international network based in Barcelona, dedicated to the trading of works taken from territories plundered by groups linked to Islamic State.

— georgi kantchev, WSJ, "Suspected Traders of Ancient Art Linked to Islamic State Are Detained," 29 Mar. 2018
Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth: Six Mayans explain their determination to resist the destruction of our environment and their culture by multinational corporations plundering resources from planet.

— chris ball, cleveland.com, "Margot Robbie in 'I, Tonya,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 25 Mar. 2018
In April riches plundered by the British in 1867-68 go on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, despite long-standing calls for their return.

— The Economist, "Gospel truthsA symbolic struggle over ancient manuscripts," 22 Mar. 2018
At the start of the 20th century, no one got elected in Cincinnati without the blessing of Boss Cox, a Republican saloon owner who bought votes and plundered city coffers.

— dan horn, Cincinnati.com, "Why Cincinnati is stuck with a mayor and city manager who can't stand each other," 19 Mar. 2018
Still, those positives can't help Wrinkle (★★ out of four; rated PG; in theaters nationwide Friday), which is plundered by a woeful, head-scratching adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's sci-fi children's classic.

— brian truitt, USA TODAY, "Review: 'A Wrinkle in Time' boasts stylish fantasy but lacks storytelling substance," 7 Mar. 2018
Many of the iCloud accounts Garofano plundered belonged not to celebrities, but to ordinary people living in Connecticut, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney in California.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "North Branford Man Charged With Hacking Into Computers of Jennifer Lawrence and Other Hollywood Stars in 'Celebgate' Breach," 12 Jan. 2018
As a result, from China to Jamaica, from Liberia to India, sand miners are plundering riverbeds, floodplains, and beaches for the precious grains.

— vince beiser, National Geographic, "Dramatic Photos Show How Sand Mining Threatens a Way of Life in Southeast Asia," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plunder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of plunder

German plündern

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1632

See Words from the same year

plunder Synonyms

Synonyms

despoil, loot, maraud, pillage, ransack, sack;

comb, hunt, rake, rifle, rummage;

harry, raid;

ravish;

plunder

noun

Definition of plunder

1 : an act of plundering : pillaging

2 : something taken by force, theft, or fraud : loot

3 chiefly dialectal : personal or household effects

See plunder defined for English-language learners

Examples of plunder in a Sentence

the plunder of the village
All evidence suggested that the plunder of the tomb had happened long ago.

Recent Examples of plunder from the Web

Yet there are common themes, such as vibrant atmospheres that give visitors a false sense of safety, and parking lots with little to no security where people leave vehicles for hours at a time with visible plunder for the taking.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "San Francisco’s auto burglary hot spots," 17 Mar. 2018
Lawmakers grill cabinet minister over plunder of state funds Parties cooperating to ensure accountability: ANC chief whip Jacob Zuma’s exit as South Africa’s president has given a new lease of life to the nation’s previously submissive parliament.

— Bloomberg.com, "Zuma Exit Rejuvenates South Africa's Once-Cowed Parliament," 14 Mar. 2018
Stories about the plunder of Spanish holdings were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, says Kenyon.

— National Geographic, "Chance Blackbeard Discovery Reveals Pirate Reading Habits," 5 Jan. 2018
What if the continent’s vast riches were never stolen and the plunder of black bodies never happened?

— the root staff, The Root, "We Went to Opening Night of Black Panther and Now We Want to Live in Wakanda Forever," 16 Feb. 2018
To Mann, Vogt represents the position that humanity needs to restrain its current plunder of natural resources.

— mary ellen hannibal, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘The Wizard and the Prophet,’ by Charles C. Mann," 12 Jan. 2018
In the first archaeological mission in 1748, the area’s Bourbon rulers had all the treasures sent to Naples, a plunder that damaged the integrity of the site but produced the wonderful collection in the city’s grand National Archaeological Museum.

— jason horowitz, New York Times, "The (Really) Old and New Meet in Naples," 3 Jan. 2018
Its members united to jack up the taxes of millions of middle-income voters, throw the country into recession, and saddle today’s toddlers with a future debt crisis—all to enable the transfer of tax plunder to fat-cat donors.

— kimberley a. strassel, WSJ, "Now, Tax Reform Gets Real," 21 Dec. 2017
Today, North Korea is allowing its hackers to operate as digital privateers in search of crypto plunder like bitcoin.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Bitcoin: North Korea Targets Cryptocurrency Executives," 17 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of plunder

1643

plunder Synonyms

Synonyms

booty, loot, pillage, spoil, swag;

Related Words

prize;

catch, haul, take, treasure;

pilferage;

windfall;

Synonym Discussion of 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

PLUNDER Defined for English Language Learners

plunder

verb

Definition of plunder for English Language Learners

: to steal things from (a place, such as a city or town) especially by force

plunder

noun

Definition of plunder for English Language Learners

: the act of stealing things from a place especially by force : the act of plundering something
: things that are stolen or taken by force especially during a war