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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in plundering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despoiling
Verb
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The store released a black-and-white video showing the thieves, which appears to be at least four suspects, plundering the business.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Amid the pillaging of homes, Roman magistrates were likely sent to the city to prevent an anarchic type of existence, based on ancient literary sources the authors referenced in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Protests intensified over the weekend, with rioters targeting the homes of lawmakers, ransacking and looting properties, and burning government buildings, according to media reports.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Apex Legends, for instance, added Wildcard Mode, which drops looting to focus on faster combat.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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Otherwise, illicit actors will continue to profit from their pillage.—
Justyna Gudzowska,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Reparations, long proposed as the only measure proportionate to the scale of racial plunder, look increasingly like a political, economic, and legal non-starter.—
Idrees Kahloon,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
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Well, there’s this band of down-on-their-luck pirates, see, drawn to the scent of plunder and rousing dance numbers, coming together in another Citadel outdoor summer extravaganza full of music and fun for the whole family, according to the Citadel website.—
Gina Grillo,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
Verb
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In the 2024-25 NBA season, Josh, who serves as the Denver Nuggets’ CEO and team president, was instrumental in sacking head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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The results also come on the heels of Qantas recently being hit with a record A$90 million penalty for illegally sacking 1,800 ground staff.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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First, the marauding, overlapping wing-backs drag markers away with decoy runs, opening up lanes for the attacking midfielders to exploit.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The pack consists of up to 15 wolves of various ages roaming federal public land near an active cattle grazing allotment, where many of the depredation incidents took place, according the memo.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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Researchers looked at wolf abundance, the number killed in wolf hunting and by government removals, and livestock depredation in those states from 2005 to 2001, and found that the amount of livestock saved by killing a single wolf, roughly equaled 7% of a single cow.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Despoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despoiling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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