plunder

1 of 2

verb

plun·​der ˈplən-dər How to pronounce plunder (audio)
plundered; plundering ˈplən-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce plunder (audio)

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 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
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
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.
Verb
In Musk’s telling, Altman illegally partnered with Microsoft to establish a web of illicit affiliates and plunder its nonprofit arm of assets and staff in violation of their deal. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025 Loggers are plundering giant sequoias in Yosemite and poachers are decimating bison herds in Yellowstone. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2025
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 See All Example Sentences for plunder

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of plunder was in 1632

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plunder. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

plunder

1 of 2 verb
plun·​der ˈplən-dər How to pronounce plunder (audio)
plundered; plundering -d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce plunder (audio)
: to rob especially openly and by force (as in a raid)
plunderer noun

plunder

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of plundering
2
: something taken by force or theft : loot

More from Merriam-Webster on plunder

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