DESPOILING Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

despoiling 1 of 2

noun

as in plundering

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Dissimilar Words

despoiling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of despoil

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

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of despoiling

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

In Nolan’s telling, his deceit and plundering portend the collapse of the Bronze Age—a foreboding warning about greedy, fading empires that feels a little too relevant.

— Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
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

Definition of plundering

Verb

Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits.

— Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
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

Definition of pillaging

Noun

Cabinet members reserve almost a fifth of the government’s vaccine stockpile for themselves, and the public reacts with mass looting and violent civil unrest.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
Efforts to prevent looting had been made even before the formation of the MFAA.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Definition of looting

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 marauding

Verb

The museum replaced him with Sasha Suda, hiring her away from the National Gallery of Canada before sacking her following a disastrous rebrand and replacing her with Weiss, a former president of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

— News Desk, Artforum, 29 July 2026
But so far, the government has decided not to intervene by sacking him and has backpedalled, allowing Russia to participate.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 23 July 2026

Definition of sacking

Noun

To the family’s lawyer, Markus Stötzel, the case is a typical example of Nazi plunder in need of immediate restoration.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.

— Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Definition of plunder

Noun

According to the Montana Grizzly Bear Conflict Dashboard, the state has recorded 101 conflicts so far this year, including 30 livestock depredations and 34 encounters with humans.

— Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026
No amount of macho beatdowns in the UFC cage matches on the White House lawn will make anyone forget Epstein’s depredations.

— Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Definition of depredation

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“Despoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despoiling. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of despoiling

noun

verb

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