pillage
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
the act of plundering, especially in war.
- Synonyms:
- spoliation, depredation, rapine
-
booty or spoil.
- Synonyms:
- plunder
verb
noun
-
the act of pillaging
-
something obtained by pillaging; booty
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pillagesimple
-
pillagessimple
-
have pillagedperfect
-
has pillagedperfect
-
am pillagingprogressive
-
are pillagingprogressive
-
is pillagingprogressive
-
have been pillagingperfect progressive
-
has been pillagingperfect progressive
Past
-
pillagedsimple
-
had pillagedperfect
-
was pillagingprogressive
-
were pillagingprogressive
-
had been pillagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pillage
1350–1400; Middle English pilage ( see pill 3, -age), modeled on Middle French pillage (derivative of piller to pillage, originally, to abuse, mistreat, tear, of uncertain origin)
Explanation
To pillage is a term of war that means to take everything of value from a place that you've conquered, but these days, pillage can be used to talk about anyone who takes what's not theirs. It wasn't enough just to win a battle. A conquering army had to pillage entire cities, taking everything of value that wasn't nailed down. Recently, several European families have won cases in international courts against museums displaying art that was looted by the Nazis during World War II. These families claim that the art was pillaged during the war and that, rather than being displayed on museum walls, it should be returned to its rightful owners.
Vocabulary lists containing pillage
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Words Every Pirate Should Know
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Born a Crime
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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.
In his book, “Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America,” Ballou examined large leveraged buyouts and found that many of which resulted in bankruptcies.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
Cerberus’ approach is “extremely aggressive,” says Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor and author of Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America.
From Slate • Feb. 10, 2025
No wonder Galeano subtitled his classic, “Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.”
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2018
Pillage their sacred trees, speed through the slow-skiing section-you're untouchable, Mr. Big Time.
From Time Magazine Archive
The wind, however, was fair, and brought so much water into the channel of the river, that we passed, without obstruction, the shallow parts above Pillage Point.
From Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea by Franklin, John
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.
