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
as in possession
chiefly dialect transportable items that one owns with all of our plunder in the pickup, we headed for the state that bills itself as the Last Frontier

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
At the Jeu de Paume museum, Valland took many risks to safeguard its treasures and record the massive plunder of artwork across France. Pat Tompkins, AFAR Media, 18 June 2025 Trouble is, the elder Broadway managed to cheat St. Christopher out of his share of the plunder. Joe Leydon, Variety, 13 June 2025
Verb
The 18 runs plundered off one over was the most Jasprit Bumrah had ever conceded in Tests, leaving the bowler perplexed as he was replaced. Sam Dalling, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025 While plundering a dungeon lair and stealing artifacts from a museum both have heist elements to them, Skullduggery looks into the other intrigues of adventures in urban environments. Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for plunder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plunder
Noun
  • Mundane loot like monster teeth and eyeballs all have different effects when paired with a basic attack, making for a mind-boggling number of combinations for how to dole out punishment.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Earlier in October, police said a group of thieves - including two dressed as construction workers - stole jewelry and loot worth millions of dollars before making their escape in broad daylight.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Maldives also maintains a complete ban on the import, sale, distribution, possession and use of electronic cigarettes and vaping products, regardless of age.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The Rainbows have been effective in the red zone, scoring on 97% of their possessions inside the 20-yard line.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Towns were besieged, landscapes scorched, villages pillaged.
    Penelope Geng, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 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
  • Those on nine-month contracts must devote 480 hours to instruction — which can include things like lab work, clinical work and internships in addition to lecture time — over the course of the contract.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Because, in waking life, the truth is that things haven’t been the same since the strain of raising two young kids started to wear on their parents.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • On the field, his seven tackles, sack and pass breakup helped tilt the game in the Chargers’ favour; off the field, his tribute to his brother showed the depth of his character.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In the box score, Brissett was 21-of-31 for 261 yards with two touchdown passes despite getting sacked five times by the Cowboys.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Among those scheduled to testify at the hearing for the government were an Oklahoma couple who were storing some of Goudreau's belongings, including two assault rifles an associate recently tried to retrieve in possible violation of a court order against possessing firearms while on bond.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2025
  • It’s backed by a lifetime guarantee, with water-resistant lining that’ll protect your belongings every step of the way.
    Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees.
    Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
  • Gaddis was an obscure state employee who was fired from his job last summer after leaking details of a secret plot by the DeSantis administration to despoil nine pristine Florida state parks with golf courses, pickleball courts and resort-style lodges — all to benefit his wealthy friends.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • With Prior at the service line, the Pilots jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind two Prior aces, a kill and two stuff blocks from Delilah Wilson and Talia Butler’s two kills and a stuff block in set two.
    Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
  • This was clown stuff in a city where, per a 2024 report, someone earning the average salary ($88,647) could afford only 5 percent of rentals on the market after factoring in upfront costs such as broker’s fees and security deposits.
    Clio Chang, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Plunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plunder. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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