pillaged

past tense of pillage
as in plundered
to search through with the intent of committing robbery soldiers pillaging the countryside for anything of value

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 pillaged But Nolan also throws a meditative new wrinkle into the story, as Odysseus comes to grips with his role in the Trojan War, leading the charge as his men raped, murdered and pillaged in his name. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 July 2026 For decades, tomb raiders have pillaged sites across the country, selling them on the black market. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 June 2026 North Texas — whose roster was pillaged in the portal and saw its top players leave for Oklahoma State alongside former head coach Eric Morris — have signed 42 transfers. Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026 In a landscape of sequels and overly pillaged IP, the Stranger Things finale is finite and close-ended, the credits rolling once and for all. Yohana Desta, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2026 Many prehistoric structures were pillaged for rock, but a remarkable number are intact. Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 At the same time, members of the powerful Viv Ansanm gang coalition had pillaged and/or burned at least 410 residences and other buildings, including six schools, health centers and local nongovernmental organizations during the period. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2025 The document stresses God’s care for people whose lands are being pillaged and who are forced to migrate. Neomi De Anda, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillaged
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
  • The class-action deal covers relatives of people who donated bodies between January 2018 and March 2023, amid uncertainty over which cadavers Lodge plundered before cremation or return to families.
    Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • It was looted during World War II and returned to the heirs of Baron András Herzog by Germany in 2010.
    Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Sudan’s civil war turned its national museum into a battlefield and crime scene, with ancient statues shattered, skeletal remains scorched and vaults of gold looted.
    Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
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
Verb
  • After a shock loss to the Arizona Cardinals, in which Herbert had one touchdown, one interception and was sacked three times, the QB dropped from third in the odds to out of the top 10.
    Hannah Vanbiber, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In Nix’s four previous starts against the Chiefs, he was sacked a total of five times.
    Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Still, the family was shocked when their home was raided by Homeland Security Investigations and LAPD in August 2023.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • After a nearly seven-week manhunt, police raided the Kohberger family home in eastern Pennsylvania, where Kohberger was visiting during holiday break, and arrested him in late December 2022.
    Kevin Fixler September 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pillaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillaged. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster