pillaging 1 of 2

pillaging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pillage
as in plundering
to search through with the intent of committing robbery soldiers pillaging the countryside for anything of value

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 pillaging
Noun
The single-day pillaging left the Magnificent Seven companies collectively poorer by $1 trillion , with Nvidia alone suddenly out a stunning $440 billion. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026 Homer may have viewed Odysseus’s deceit and pillaging as glorious. — Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026 Taking the Scenic Route Home After their successful sneak-attack pillaging of Troy, Odysseus’ comrade Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his men pack up and head back to Sparta. — Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 17 July 2026 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 In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging. — Brandon Prins, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
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 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 But now, entry-level professionals are clinging to their childhood bedrooms and pillaging their family fridges as more are extending their stay than ever before. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 June 2026 Some commentators’ dark horses for the tournament, Norway qualified from Europe with a perfect record, pillaging goals at will, while mercilessly dispatching opponents. — Jonathan Thompson, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026 Picking up where episode 7 left off, Wayne (Toby Wallace) wakes up to Rue pillaging his safe. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillaging
Noun
  • Claims of looting have also inspired closer examination of the trove of East and South Asian art objects donated to the museum in the late 1990s by the Alsdorf family.
    — Kelley Engelbrecht, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Najib has been behind bars since August 2022, when the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld his graft conviction linked to a multibillion-dollar looting of the state investment fund 1MDB.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Nearly three decades later, Cornelius is still partying and plundering, though usually in a more relaxed fashion and with less of a Beach Boys influence.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Police in South Africa have arrested five suspects in connection with a violent farm robbery in the North West province in which a 50-year-old farmer was shot and had his ears cut off.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Deputies will continue to respond to all Priority 1 calls, including reports of homicides, assaults, hostage situations, hit-and-run collisions, robberies, shots fired and plane crashes.
    — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • After two years of MAGA marauding freely throughout the capital, the libs were soon to be back in charge—of Congress, at least.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the bubble wrap will be coming off against a marauding Denver defense.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • If convicted, Hinton faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the arson charge and up to 10 years for the depredation charge, according to Hertzberg.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This is among the many depredations that this supposedly mainstream Administration has committed.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Dolphins' defense held, though, sacking Goff on third down to force a real punt.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The underlying data shows the Chiefs should be sacking the quarterback at a higher rate already, albeit still not near an elite rate.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • California’s new Yankee masters were men of industry, which also sometimes looked like reckless plunder.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Their rackets—plunder, opium trafficking, and much else—were often run not by members of established yakuza gangs but by fixers and political operators who exploited their connections with the Imperial Japanese Army.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Their presence helps discourage raccoons from raiding the wood storks’ nests, giving the birds a better chance of successfully raising their young.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Thrifting, attending clothing swaps and raiding friends' and family members' closets are all ways to avoid buying new costumes.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pillaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillaging. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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