plunder 1 of 2

1
as in loot
valuables stolen or taken by force the thieves were promptly arrested when they tried to sell their plunder

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2

plunder

2 of 2

verb

as in to pillage
to search through with the intent of committing robbery the escaped convict plundered the house in search of valuables

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun plunder differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of plunder are booty, loot, prize, spoils, and spoil. While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

When could booty be used to replace plunder?

The words booty and plunder are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When would loot be a good substitute for plunder?

The synonyms loot and plunder are sometimes interchangeable, but loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

When is prize a more appropriate choice than plunder?

Although the words prize and plunder have much in common, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

How do spoil and spoils relate to one another, in the sense of plunder?

Spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

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 plunder
Noun
Swiss zoologists, botanists, engineers, priests and nuns from missionary societies, merchants and rentier businesspeople, warlords and mercenaries ventured out to participate in plunder and looting as adjuncts or sidekicks of the stronger world powers and financiers. Percy Zvomuya, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024 Major museums in the West devoted to the presentation and preservation of art objects have fitfully begun acknowledging their ties to histories of violence and plunder. Leslie Camhi, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Verb
For decades, the terrorist group has plundered Gaza and sacrificed its people in pursuit of an unending messianic war to eliminate the Jewish state. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2025 From [nautical] mile 200, the Argentine Navy [ …] under the coordination of the Joint Maritime Command, stands firm, patrolling and watching and ensuring that no foreign ship crosses our exclusive economic zone to plunder what belongs to Argentines. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for plunder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plunder
Noun
  • A lot of casuals were turned off by the entire extraction shooter concept of losing loot or unbalanced fights.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
  • Although backpacks can be upgraded to house more loot, most of what’s found will quickly fill up your inventory after just a couple of minutes searching.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • When the court in 1995 struck down a federal law banning the possession of a handgun within 1,000 feet of a school on the grounds that Congress exceeded its authority under the commerce clause, Souter asserted in dissent that the court should have instead deferred to Congress .
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Baber was charged with interfering with police and possession of drug paraphernalia.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • On Sunday, the editorial staff of Télé Pluriel in the Delmas 19 neighborhood, said heavily armed gang members had broken through the station’s main barrier sometime during the night and set fire to its premises while also pillaging their offices.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Uh uh, method dressing is forever, at least for Timothée Chalamet—until the next role-of-a-lifetime comes along, or the parcels of Bob Dylan ephemera pillaged from the online auction houses stop coming through the young actor’s door that is.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Did Elmo get sacked as a result of President Trump’s attempts to defund public media?
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 May 2025
  • The seven-time Super Bowl champion was sacked 565 times in 335 games as quarterback, which is good for a 4.48 sack percentage.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • As a business owner, higher profit margins, all other things being equal, are more valuable.
    Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
  • But subtle little things — developments unlikely to make headlines – can also be big winners.
    Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Anderson prefers to characterize Loewe as a cultural brand rather than a luxury one, finding the latter term despoiled.
    Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Growth in Africa must be clean, both in terms of generating energy and not despoiling the continent’s landscape and natural resources.
    Jack A. Goldstone, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2023
Noun
  • Here’s the really good news among the bad critical vulnerability disclosure stuff: there is no patch to install, no updates to deploy, and no action required by the user at all.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • The audience load-in playlist for my Baby J Tour was a lot of Delfonics, Spinners, Thom Bell-adjacent stuff.
    Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • Authorities outfitted two of the cubs with tracking collars after the bears started wandering into the town of Jackson to raid garbage cans, compost bins and bird feeders for food.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
  • Massachusetts Avenue eatery Millie’s was also reportedly raided Tuesday morning, with officers wielding a search warrant signed by an ICE agent — not a judge.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 8 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Plunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plunder. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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