plunder
Americanverb (used with object)
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plunders,
present (3rd person singular)
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plundered,
past participle, past
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plundering
present participle
verb (used without object)
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plunders,
present (3rd person singular)
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plundered,
past participle, past
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plundering
present participle
verb
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to steal (valuables, goods, sacred items, etc) from (a town, church, etc) by force, esp in time of war; loot
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(tr) to rob or steal (choice or desirable things) from (a place)
to plunder an orchard
noun
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anything taken by plundering or theft; booty
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the act of plundering; pillage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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plunderernoun
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plunderableadjective
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plunderousadjective
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unplunderedadjective
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unplunderousadjective
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plunderinglyadverb
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unplunderouslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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plundersimple
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plunderssimple
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have plunderedperfect
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has plunderedperfect
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am plunderingprogressive
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are plunderingprogressive
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is plunderingprogressive
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have been plunderingperfect progressive
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has been plunderingperfect progressive
Past
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plunderedsimple
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had plunderedperfect
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was plunderingprogressive
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were plunderingprogressive
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had been plunderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plunder
First recorded in 1620–30, plunder is from the Dutch word plunderen
Explanation
Plunder can mean stolen goods or money obtained illegally, or the act of taking those things. A burglar might plunder a jewelry store and then sneak off with her plunder. Plunder is an old Middle High German word that originally meant "household goods and clothes": in other words, your stuff. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), English speakers acquired this word while fighting in the land that is today Germany, but with the added meaning of taking the plunder as, well, plunder. As both a noun and verb, a synonym for plunder is loot.
Vocabulary lists containing plunder
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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The Odyssey
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Navy engaged with the British yet again, it also once more exposed American ships traveling Mediterranean to plunder from Barbary pirates, later resulting in the Second Barbary War.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
The Vikings have landed in North America for the second time in just over a millennium and, this time, they’re here to plunder the beer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Najib, who has been tried and convicted in multiple cases, has been jailed and fined $2.8 billion for his role in the plunder.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
And hey, did you know that the word “raptor”—which is often used to describe birds of prey—comes from the Latin verb rapio, which means to plunder, rob, ravish, or abduct?
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2026
He got dressed and they set out down the beach carrying the last of their plunder.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
A blend of Islamic and Hindu beliefs has long served as a conservation code, with supernatural guardians believed to punish anyone who plunders the forest for greed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
It plunders parental fantasies about our children as future professional athletes.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2022
If you have heard at all about guardianship for older adults, chances are that it has been about a predatory guardian who plunders the estate of a helpless older person.
From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2018
The narrator thinks about the way he plunders the lives of those around him.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 13, 2018
She plunders sighs from humankind, She pilfers tears I would not weep, She robs me of my peace of mind, And she purloins my sleep.
From Poems by Arthur Macy
It is a far cry from 2023-24 when he plundered 19 Premier League goals, and 27 in all competitions.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
What rankles more is his only international T20 appearance three weeks later, when Ireland plundered 52 from his four overs.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Kim Jong Un’s cyber army has plundered billions of dollars from the crypto industry in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Khawaja, a qualified pilot, has plundered 6,206 runs in Test cricket with 16 centuries, averaging 43.39.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
‘I may have to report that. The prisoners are not to be searched or plundered: those are my orders.’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Think of American shipping companies plundering British ships, which was common practice once upon a time.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
The example they set by monetizing Greek military talent would lure many others into the freebooting life and ultimately lead, seven decades later, to the enormous plundering raids of Alexander the Great.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"If Auroville," which has a big international profile and has been praised by UNESCO, "does not hold out against the plundering and devastation of our natural resources, then we are all doomed," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
It’s all chintzy and campy, the plundering of low-hanging fruit.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Milo had been caught red-handed in the act of plundering his countrymen, and, as a result, his stock had never been higher.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
