plunder

verb

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

despoil, loot, maraud, pillage, ransack, sack

Synonyms: Noun

booty, loot, pillage, spoil, swag

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

But at least in olden days such plundering was relatively rare. — Joe Queenan, WSJ, "Must Everything Old Be Exhumed Again?," 6 Dec. 2018 Countries like Benin and Ethiopia, among others, have long requested that artifacts that were plundered or looted by European armies be returned. — Alexia Underwood, Vox, "European museums may “loan” stolen artifacts back to countries in Africa," 17 Aug. 2018 England was particularly envious of the lucrative system developed by Spain for returning gold and silver to the mother country after the Spanish plundered the Aztec and Incan empires in 1521 and 1532. — Rinker Buck, WSJ, "‘Black Flags, Blue Waters’ Review: To Live and Die a Pirate King," 26 Sep. 2018 In the 19th century, scientists themselves routinely plundered burial grounds, with no thought about getting consent from families or communities for their work. — Carl Zimmer, New York Times, "Chile and Its Scientists Protest Research on Tiny Mummy," 28 Mar. 2018 Some of those graves were plundered centuries ago, largely by enemy tribes seeking to stake a claim on the territory by desecrating the Scythians’ burial sites. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Satellites watch over the graves of ancient steppe nomads," 26 Dec. 2018 The department has continued to encounter a series of scandals, from police officers planting evidence to a gun task force that conducted false searches and actively plundered city residents. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "The latest viral video of Baltimore police shows that the department’s reform efforts have a long way to go.," 13 Aug. 2018 Instead, Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond. — Alex Ward, Vox, "The US is evacuating diplomats from an Iraqi consulate citing credible threats from Iran," 28 Sep. 2018 This is another costly fantasy detached from the real-world use case, engineered to plunder the pockets of the naive. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S: More Car Than Anyone Could Ever Enjoy," 5 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The improbability of this statement speaks to the massive inequalities that exist between nations in relation to Western pillaging and plunder. — Celine Semaan, Teen Vogue, "Why I Started a Sustainable Fashion Conference Series," 26 Apr. 2019 The powerful family has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, of human rights abuses and wanton plunder of national assets, during Marcos’ reign, which finally ended in 1989. — Washington Post, "Sara Netanyahu preceded by avarice of other first wives," 21 June 2018 That is unusual: Centuries of plunder by treasure hunters and professional tomb raiders have spoiled many ancient Egyptian burial sites. — Declan Walsh, New York Times, "Sarcophagus Found. Contents Unknown. (‘No Guessing, Please.’)," 13 July 2018 Whether for leisure, business, exploration, colonization, exploitation or plunder, humans have traveled the world for centuries and recorded their impressions in books and artworks. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "Travel-Themed Exhibit 'Wish You Were Here' In New Haven," 23 June 2018 The powerful family has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, of human rights abuses and wanton plunder of national assets, during Marcos' reign, which finally ended in 1989. — Fox News, "Sara Netanyahu preceded by avarice of other first wives," 22 June 2018 The passive nature of reading allows a space for distance from the realities of slavery, violence, rape, plunder, mass incarceration and the daily toll of tightrope walking. — Angela Helm, The Root, "Kamilah Forbes’ Beautiful Struggle: Bringing Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me to the Stage," 10 Apr. 2018 In Maeve's understanding, the Ghost Nation showed up in the name of violence, to attack, pillage and plunder. — refinery29.com, "Westworld Season 2, Episode 8: Forget What You Think You Know," 11 June 2018 That was not surprising, given that the whole operation was overseen by an administration that holds government in contempt, seeing it as a source of obstruction or an opportunity for plunder, rather than a collection of vital services. — Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "After hurricane struck Puerto Rico, a second disaster was man-made," 2 June 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.