plunder

verb

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plun·der | \ ˈplən-dər

plundered; plundering\ ˈplən-d(ə-)riŋ

Definition of plunder

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

plunder

noun

Definition of plunder (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act of plundering : pillaging

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

3 chiefly dialectal : personal or household effects

Other Words from plunder Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About plunder

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Synonyms for plunder

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Choose the Right Synonym for plunder

Noun

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 At Triple-A Round Rock, outfielder Leody Taveras may have turned a corner in his tutorial and first baseman/DH Curtis Terry continues to plunder pitching and raising eyebrows. — Evan Grant, Dallas News, 15 June 2021 And if there are grounds to believe that the central government of Syria will plunder something, well, set up observers on the part of the International— Red Cross and— Red Crescent oversee everything. — NBC News, 14 June 2021 The story of the Tulsa Massacre brings to mind others, large and small, with common themes of violence, plunder, and erasure. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, 2 June 2021 Family members try to step in, to no avail, as the guardian proceeds to sell the woman’s home and plunder her assets. — Mary Jacobs, Dallas News, 27 May 2021 But Haaland is also on the record having recognized that, in order for both America and the world to properly steward its lands and waters, the federal government cannot continue helping the fossil fuel plunder its lands. — Nick Martin, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2021 Ali granted foreign expeditions permission to plunder sites and gave antiquities away as gifts. — Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2021 At least 40 witnesses have directly implicated Mr. Zuma in arrangements to plunder tens of millions of dollars from state companies. — Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2021 At one time tea was so valuable that pirates liked to plunder tea-carrying ships in the South China Sea. — Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That same year, museum directors universally agreed to review provenance gaps in their collections that might indicate Nazi plunder. — BostonGlobe.com, 3 June 2021 Perhaps in light of similar accusations, some Jews and, subsequently, Christians, interpreted the text as a story about symbolic and not literal plunder. — David Lincicum, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2021 In recent years, museums around the world have been repatriating human remains — often gathered during colonial plunder — to their descendants. — Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 25 Mar. 2021 But a capitalist was a legalized criminal who targeted thousands, if not millions, and felt no shame for his plunder. — Jonathan Dee, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2021 Mayhem quickly followed — days of plunder, punishment and bloodshed that ended with dozens of refugees being singled out and forced back across the border into Eritrea. — New York Times, 18 Dec. 2020 Similarly, 2012’s Diablo 3 is fundamentally the same game as 1996’s Diablo, a descent into a demon’s domain largely enjoyed as an excuse for plunder and weaponry that turns you into an even more efficient demon-slaying machine. — Joshua Rivera, Wired, 22 Dec. 2020 Rightly or wrongly, EU trawlers venturing freely in U.K. waters came to be seen as a symbol of plunder and exploitation. — Raf Casert, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2020 The mere prospect of a Democratic president nominally meddling with their plunder has generated anxiety among the wealthy. — J.c. Pan, The New Republic, 24 Sep. 2020

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.