as in looted
to search through with the intent of committing robbery
the escaped convict plundered the house in search of valuables
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Recent Examples of plundered
What’s the reward for being the most productively plundered of the mid-majors?
—
Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Monster bamboo, bougainvillea, and banana plants crashed in from the roadside; a tin roof sagged under the weight of a gaggle of marabou storks; baboons plundered trash cans at a highway intersection.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
The Scandinavian Vikings were a seafaring people who plundered both north and west Europe for centuries — a pretty tough group.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Last fall, copper thieves plundered about a dozen public streetlights over three city blocks, leaving their neighborhood in the dark.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Many of the country's ancient temples were plundered during a genocide in the 1970s and subsequent civil war.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2025
Pahlavi ruled from 1941 to 1979, when the Islamic Revolution ousted him amid allegations of repression and accusations that the pro-Western longtime ruler had plundered his nation’s treasury.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Abroad, America’s élite soldiers killed and plundered.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Along with goods for trade and plundered wealth, concepts of the soul have traveled the networks of empire.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Monster bamboo, bougainvillea, and banana plants crashed in from the roadside; a tin roof sagged under the weight of a gaggle of marabou storks; baboons plundered trash cans at a highway intersection.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
The Scandinavian Vikings were a seafaring people who plundered both north and west Europe for centuries — a pretty tough group.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Last fall, copper thieves plundered about a dozen public streetlights over three city blocks, leaving their neighborhood in the dark.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Many of the country's ancient temples were plundered during a genocide in the 1970s and subsequent civil war.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 4 Dec. 2025
Pahlavi ruled from 1941 to 1979, when the Islamic Revolution ousted him amid allegations of repression and accusations that the pro-Western longtime ruler had plundered his nation’s treasury.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Abroad, America’s élite soldiers killed and plundered.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Along with goods for trade and plundered wealth, concepts of the soul have traveled the networks of empire.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plundered
Verb
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Most family homes had been robbed and looted.—
Yousra Elbagir,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
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Much of the Kim clan’s once-opulent house had burned down after being looted, Kim says.—
Margaret Heidenry,
Vanity Fair,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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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
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The Detroit Lions argue a trademark infringement lawsuit brought against the team by the organizers of the Motor City Muscle music festival, held in Detroit eight years ago, should be sacked.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 Feb. 2026
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Bass sacked Kristin Crowley a month after the January 2025 Palisades Fire, and her dismissal was followed by finger-pointing between the ex-chief and City Hall over the blaze's devastation and the fire department’s funding.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Clark left the city in 2020, a year after the FBI raided City Hall as part of the criminal investigation related to the sham lawsuit.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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But Andrew’s actions have apparently caught up to him, and with his home and former home being raided as well, there’s a chance that even more stuff could come up against Andrew.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
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The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota, remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.—
February 25,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plundered. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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