as in plundering
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as in pillaging
to search through with the intent of committing robbery
the burglars despoiled the art museum in search of treasures they thought they could sell to a fence
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despoiling
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
Jude was painfully conscious of the despoiling of his creative talents.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despoiling
Noun
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Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.—
Tom Page,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.—
Brett Whalen,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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OpenAI has been pillaging Apple’s hardware engineering ranks for talent to work on competitors to Apple’s smart home and mobile devices, while Meta is revamping its own AI wearables.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
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Then Joe Biden and his corrupt administration comes along and makes matters worse, allowing thousands of criminals to enter our country illegally, pillaging Americans while being pampered in luxury hotels on our dime.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some start in the 1800s, and others start post-1970 under the UNESCO framework that has outlawed the looting of cultural heritage across the world.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
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The looting report in Haaretz follows several other misconduct complaints against Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But when a boy is killed, and with throngs of beachgoers en route for the July 4th holiday, Brody teams with oceanographer Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to track down and kill the marauding Great White Shark.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
29 Apr. 2026
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The war ends, and marauding Russians confiscate the family estate.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The people who've made it out are telling us horror stories of mass killings, of rape and pillage of women and families.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
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Vikings, for example, used the extra daylight to sneak in a longer pillage sesh.—
Corey Buhay,
Outside Online,
19 June 2025
Verb
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But so far the government has decided not to intervene by sacking him and backpedalling on allowing Russia to participate.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
6 May 2026
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Any hope that Liam Rosenior’s sacking 12 days ago would spark an upturn, especially after their FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds United, have been brought back to reality.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Many Indians and students of colonialism see it as a symbol of the British Empire and the domination and plunder of imperialism.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
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Critics contend the industry plunders distressed companies, leading to downsizing and cost-cutting that hurts local communities, though other research has pushed back on that reputation.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His nanny was his fierce protector and insulated him from the depredations of Nazis and their enablers, baptizing him and teaching him to handily hurl anti-Jewish epithets to fit in.—
Ron Kampeas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
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Those nonlethal management methods reduced the risk of depredation but were not 100% successful, said Ethan Kohn, a wildlife damage specialist.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despoiling. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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