plundering 1 of 2

Definition of plunderingnext

plundering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of plunder
as in pillaging
to search through with the intent of committing robbery the escaped convict plundered the house in search of valuables

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 plundering
Noun
Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance. Tom Page, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026 Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go. Brett Whalen, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026 An intimate doc-feature take on renowned Panamanian anthropologist Reina Torres de Araúz (1932-82), who battled the plundering of artifacts from pre-1492 tombs, told from th POV of a soon who lost her mother too soon. John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026 ByteDance’s statement follows the Chinese tech giant receiving cease and desist letters from Disney and Paramount, calling for an immediate halt to IP plundering. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026 It was revealed during that trial that Low's plundering of the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund exceeded $4 billion. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Nov. 2025 Aron Solomon on how the Meta AI copyright decision made libraries sitting ducks for AI plundering. Literary Hub, 27 June 2025
Verb
So, the Board of Supervisors, through the County Executive Officer, has pirated the Treasurer’s office and is now plundering it. John Moorlach, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026 If there really was a class of unaccountable, libertine global élites plundering the world, then wasn’t Trump obviously a member? Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026 Most Americans don’t want our nation to be an imperial aggressor threatening, conquering and plundering weaker nations. Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2026 An increasing number of bears had previously been observed spending more time on land during the summer, plundering birds’ nests in west Svalbard, and data had shown more adult females in east Svalbard spending more time in areas with bird colonies. Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026 Bainbridge wasn’t shy about plundering her personal life for material. Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 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 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 French buccaneers spent much of the seventeenth century hiding and plundering along the northwest coast of Hispaniola, eventually realizing more money could be made farming tobacco and sugar. Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plundering
Noun
  • The Canadiens forfeit the game to the Detroit after a smoke bomb goes off in the Forum and crowds spill into the streets, setting fires, smashing windows and looting.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
  • Officers arrested Alexander Schecter, 26, at his Santa Monica residence on Friday and booked him on one count of rape by force, one count of forcible oral copulation, one count of robbery, one count of extortion and one count of battery, police said.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
  • He was booked on one count of rape by force, one count of forcible oral copulation, one count of robbery, one count of extortion and one count of battery and remains behind bars in lieu of $600,000 bail, police said.
    Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Quick attacks down the flanks Parkinson’s preference for a three-man defence means his team often look wide to find marauding wing-backs high up the pitch.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Ozzy Lusth is marauding through the jungle, Sandra Diaz-Twine is lunging out of a shelter, and Johnny Fairplay’s real grandmother fake dies.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The confrontation went viral in December 2024, as cameras captured Gastineau confronting Favre in 2023 over Michael Strahan sacking the Green Bay Packers legend to break Gastineau's single-season sack record.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
  • So Green can go back to sad-sacking and triple-singling starting Saturday against the Thunder, and certainly Monday against the Jazz.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The militia had first interrogated the Delaware and Mohican about the location of their material possessions before killing them to ensure a successful plunder of pewter, tea sets, furs, and clothing.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The country had yet to hold the first Marcos to account for plunder and human-rights abuses, and this election seemed an exoneration of both his and Rodrigo Duterte’s sins.
    Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The new administration accuses the Gainey administration of raiding city trust funds to pay for some programs and departments while underfunding others.
    Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • That’s a different kind of story than raiding a floating restaurant or escaping a marine base.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In October 2024, 20 mountain lions were killed through depredation permits statewide, the DFW reported.
    Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Wolf depredation in Cochise County last summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
    Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plundering. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on plundering

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster