as in looting
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as in plundering
to search through with the intent of committing robbery
soldiers pillaging the countryside for anything of value
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Recent Examples of pillaging
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
More than a dozen others immediately flooded the shattered entrance, pillaging the place — breaking display cases and grabbing thousands of dollars in jewelry.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
The internet, too, has rewired our brains in countless ways, overwhelming us with information while pillaging our attention spans.
—Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
If peaceable trading isn't your dream, consider the corsair life, pillaging other ships for their precious cargo.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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
Certainly, its portrait of a futuristic society dominated by raping, pillaging youth gangs speaking a bizarre Russian-English hybrid slang struck a few different nerves — as did its tale of one teenage sociopath’s questionable reprogramming back into society after a stint in prison.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
More than a dozen others immediately flooded the shattered entrance, pillaging the place — breaking display cases and grabbing thousands of dollars in jewelry.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
The internet, too, has rewired our brains in countless ways, overwhelming us with information while pillaging our attention spans.
—Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
If peaceable trading isn't your dream, consider the corsair life, pillaging other ships for their precious cargo.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillaging
Noun
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And, as bad as all that looting was, the wealth that remained in Congo constituted only a small percentage of what was being made on markets globally, and from the technology those minerals powered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Some of the demonstrations descended into shootings, looting and vandalism.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump is not keeping that a secret but is being quite open about plundering it all.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
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The most forward-looking strategy is to protect Greenland’s ice sheet rather than plundering a remote Arctic island while ramping up fossil fuel production and accelerating climate change around the world.—
Paul Bierman,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Lumet’s 1975 film and this Broadway adaptation are based on a real Brooklyn bank robbery and hostage incident from 1972.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Data shows disproportionate arrests for robbery and carjacking, with juveniles making up over half of those arrested for these crimes in 2024, alongside rising truancy.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While guarding this mysterious gorge, these good-looking sharpshooters inevitably fall in love and join forces to contain the marauding creatures.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Fearing the attacker’s return and marauding gangs, the family abandoned their home in a rural stretch of farmland and fruit trees and hid in the bushes.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Pursuit of Purdy The Seahawks’ front seven made life difficult for Purdy, chasing him across the field while sacking him twice.—
Andrew Destin,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Jan. 2026
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The Texans stifled the Steelers rushing attack and harassed Aaron Rodgers so extensively — sacking him four times, hitting him 12 times — that the future Hall of Fame quarterback scarcely had time to wait for plays to develop and repeatedly dumped the ball off for short gains.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Keith Michael Lisa, 51, of Barnegat, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, Habba announced Tuesday.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
19 Nov. 2025
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Federal wildlife agents confirmed the two depredation events, which took place Friday and Saturday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Security agents have been going door to door, raiding homes to confiscate satellite dishes and arresting anyone who is using the service.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Investigators moved in stages, first raiding his business, then executing a search warrant at his Miami Lakes home.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After more than a century of plunder and strife, under tyrants as diverse as King Leopold II of Belgium and Mobutu Sese Seko, the present-day DRC still occupies the dark heart of the continent in much of the world’s imagination.—
Holden Frith,
TheWeek,
9 Jan. 2026
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The Venezuelan regime is broadly unpopular in Latin America; its socialism of plunder has sent millions of desperate people into Colombia and other states.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pillaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillaging. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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