depredate

American  

[dep-ri-deyt] / ˈdɛp rɪˌdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

depredated, depredating

1. to plunder or lay waste to; prey upon; pillage; ravage.

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verb (used without object)

depredated, depredating

1. to plunder; pillage.

depredate British  

/ -trɪ, dɪˈprɛdɪtərɪ, ˈdɛprɪˌdeɪtərɪ, ˈdɛprɪˌdeɪt /

verb

1. rare (tr) to plunder or destroy; pillage

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Other Word Forms

• depredator noun
• depredatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of depredate

1620–30; < Late Latin dēpraedātus plundered (past participle of depraedārī ), equivalent to Latin dē- de- + praed ( ārī ) to plunder ( prey ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

"Cats depredate and scavenge a large fraction of the species present across the range available in the landscapes they forage in," the authors write.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2023

Chickens depredate warily about the doorsteps, and intent pigs emerge for plunder from the alleys.

From Last Words by Crane, Stephen

I have been told that superstitious thieves hang veils or kerchiefs before the picture in rooms where they depredate.

From Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life by Knox, Thomas Wallace

At the close of the war of 1812-15, the Dey of Algiers, believing the British navy had utterly destroyed that of the United States, sent out his corsairs to depredate on our commerce.

From Harper's Young People, August 3, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

Fire-breathing, venomous once, they no longer now depredate our Flocks and meadows and woods, fields of golden grain.

From Erotica Romana by Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von