despoil
verb (used with object)
to strip of possessions, things of value, etc.; rob; plunder; pillage.
despoiled
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past participleof despoil.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof despoil.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
despoilverb (used with object)to strip of possessions, things of value, etc.; rob; plunder; pillage.
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.
Metaphors may have no place at a concentration camp, but it’s hard to look at this beautiful enclosed space and not see it, perversely, as the most despoiled of Edens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
Too much of Seattle has been despoiled by the greed and power of developers.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
They despoiled the building with their urine and feces.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2021
The natural environment with which Native Americans had established a harmonious and symbiotic relationship, was similarly despoiled by the twin logic of expropriation and colonization that spread under the logic of manifest destiny.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 10, 2021
Because he was a good man and our faithful friend, therefore hast thou despoiled his wife.
From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Eileen Power
