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

In the sixties, artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Peter Saul had plundered lowbrow visual culture for elemental materials.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 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

Sudan’s civil war, a conflict credibly described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has seen violence matched only by the belligerents’ rapacity in pillaging the country’s riches.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Most notable is how the Premier League’s most famous clubs increasingly pillage the internal market for reliable and proven talent, rather than taking bets on cheaper or further-flung bets from across the continent or beyond.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pillage

Verb

Authorities are still investigating whether any of them may also have been looted during World War II.

— Sergio Farella, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Preliminary explorations indicate these burials were looted in antiquity; passages linking them are thought to have been made by ancient robbers moving between the tombs.

— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of loot

Verb

Since 2020, Joe Burrow has been sacked a league-worst 10 percent of the time in openers and has lost four times, a league-high.

— Vic Tafur, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
The Ducks sacked Madsen three times for 15 yards, but their defensive front didn’t show too much attacking intent.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of sack

Verb

The fire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, cabins and other structures.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Mark Zuckerberg certainly wants no part of one, and cutthroat competition seems hard-coded into tech executives, who are rich enough not to need to win but wake up every morning trying to destroy each other anyway.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

Supposedly posing a threat to their idyll on the outskirts are various marauding splinter groups running amok through the barren wasteland of the American Mountain West.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
Released onto a new continent, the cane toads marauded unstoppably.

— Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of maraud

Verb

Trump was furious, believing that Israel was trying to sabotage the talks.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, the megalomaniac Esmeralda, still delusionally kooky, spends less time trying to sabotage Ned and more time getting sent on side quests — an attempt to create her own big puzzle game, a journey undercover at her son’s school.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of depredate

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes