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rapine

noun

Definition of rapinenext
as in pillage

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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 rapine If his decades-long track record is any indication, Sanders would be inclined to make excuses for our adversaries and look on the bright side of their repression and rapine. — Rich Lowry, National Review, 25 Feb. 2020 There is no question about the general philosophy that underlay this great act of public pillage and economic rapine. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 13 Mar. 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapine
  1. pillage
  2. looting
  3. plundering
  4. despoliation
  5. spoliation
  6. kidnapping
  7. abduction
Noun
  • The people who've made it out are telling us horror stories of mass killings, of rape and pillage of women and families.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Vikings, for example, used the extra daylight to sneak in a longer pillage sesh.
    — Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 19 June 2025
Definition of pillage
Noun
  • Following the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, burning, looting and other forms of mayhem broke out in Minneapolis and many other cities across America.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Much of it can be subsistence looting, with people selling antiquities because their livelihoods have been disrupted by war.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of looting
Noun
  • In Nolan’s telling, his deceit and plundering portend the collapse of the Bronze Age—a foreboding warning about greedy, fading empires that feels a little too relevant.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of plundering
Noun
  • On social media, Tan was pugilistic to the point of belligerence, casting his political enemies as corrupt malefactors responsible for the despoliation of his beloved city.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
  • In the face of such extensive despoliation, grassroots opposition has emerged.
    — Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Definition of despoliation
Noun
  • However, the present tax system does not encourage conservation but rather encourages spoliation of our environment through greed and profit based on an income tax system.
    — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 5 May 2026
  • McGinnis’ lawyer said that was tantamount to spoliation — or destruction of evidence.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Definition of spoliation
Noun
  • But being that a similar kidnapping thriller was coming out with A24’s Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest, Affleck pulled the plug on that version of Animals two weeks before production was set to begin.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Rodriguez was charged second-degree breach of peace and one count each of first-degree kidnapping and risk of injury to a minor.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of kidnapping
Noun
  • In Costa Rica, Sandinista operatives are suspected in a series of shootings, abductions and killings of Nicaraguan exiles in recent years.
    — Ismael López, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Cut to six days after Joe’s abduction, and the Lioness crew is hot on the heels of her captors.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of abduction

Browse Nearby Words

rapiers
rapine
rapines
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Cite this Entry

“Rapine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapine. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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