DEPREDATE Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

depredate

verb

Definition of depredate

as in to plunder

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredate

Verb

Meanwhile, Lohar’s surviving mercenaries are plundering villages.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
Or was the hole man-made with a malevolent intent, perhaps plundering a grave for artifacts?

— Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
In the 21st century, oil extraction has become a serious threat to Ecuadoran Amazonia, with large swaths of forest, often located in Indigenous territories, despoiled by the release of wastewater from the wells.

— Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026

Definition of despoil

Verb

At a time when security measures were more relaxed, hard-up antique print dealer Robert Kindred spent the summer of 1980 pillaging rare books and antique illustrations from academic libraries nationwide.

— Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Unfortunately, a group of eastern kings pillage Sodom and Gomorrah and take Lot captive along with others.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

Definition of pillage

Verb

Fifty-nine antiquities looted from Italy, Iraq, and Indonesia, including 45 seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, have been returned to their countries of origin, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026
According to the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums in Yemen, 28 Yemeni artifacts held in London have been looted from their country of origin.

— News Desk, Artforum, 7 July 2026

Definition of loot

Verb

At Universal Studios’ CityWalk, the original from the film — last seen on screen in flames as Troy was brutally sacked by Damon’s army of rampaging Greeks — is on display outside the AMC Universal Cinema.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 July 2026
This time last year, the 52-year-old was sacked as Red Bull’s team principal after 20 years.

— Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of sack

Verb

But there have been no exact numbers of how many missiles and drones Iran had when the war began or how many have since been used or destroyed.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Severe droughts and searing heat across vast swathes of southern Europe destroyed large parts of the olive oil harvest, culminating in a dizzying price rally that shocked industry veterans and consumers alike.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 July 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

Other skulls and long bones uncovered at the site, which Carr says was among the most important in Miami-Dade, were destroyed by a gang of marauding boys.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Between matches, fans were able to relax with a somewhat less-marauding version of Haaland, as the 25-year-old put in an appearance on the late-night show FIFA World Cup on Fox After Hours with James Corden.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of maraud

Verb

Meanwhile, Centre 16 is formally recognized as the group behind a December 2025 attempt to sabotage power plants in Poland.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 14 July 2026
In other words, the industry has long treated sound as important enough to sabotage strategically when combatting piracy.

— Damion Taylor, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of sabotage

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

depreciatory

depredate

depredated

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Depredate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of depredate

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quid pro quo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes