plunder

1 of 2

verb

plun·​der ˈplən-dər 

plundered; plundering ˈplən-d(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to take the goods of by force (as in war) : pillage, sack

invaders plundered the town

b

: to take by force or wrongfully : steal, loot

plundered artifacts from the tomb

2

: to make extensive use of as if by plundering : use or use up wrongfully

plunder the land

intransitive verb

: to commit robbery or looting

plunderer

ˈplən-dər-ər 

noun

plunder

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act of plundering : pillaging

2

: something taken by force, theft, or fraud : loot

3

chiefly dialectal : personal or household effects

Synonyms

Verb

• despoil
• loot
• maraud
• pillage
• ransack
• sack

Noun

• booty
• loot
• pillage
• spoil
• swag

Choose the Right Synonym for plunder

spoil, plunder, booty, prize, loot mean something taken from another by force or craft.

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

plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

Examples of plunder in a Sentence

Verb

The village was plundered by the invading army.

Thieves had long ago plundered the tomb.

The soldiers continued plundering for days.

Noun

the plunder of the village

All evidence suggested that the plunder of the tomb had happened long ago.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Along South America’s west coast, the Englishmen continued to plunder the riches of Spanish settlements in Chile and Peru. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024

The other person makes a beeline for the fridge, plundering 20 kilograms of butter from the chiller, Russian media reported. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

German plündern

First Known Use

Verb

1632, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

plunder

1 of 2 verb

plun·​der ˈplən-dər 

plundered; plundering -d(ə-)riŋ 

: to rob especially openly and by force (as in a raid)

plunderer

-dər-ər 

noun

plunder

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act of plundering

2

: something taken by force or theft : loot