Dictionary.com

despoil

[ dih-spoil ]
/ dɪˈspɔɪl /
See synonyms for despoil on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to strip of possessions, things of value, etc.; rob; plunder; pillage.

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seclusion
a false belief or opinion.
the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.
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Origin of despoil

1175–1225; Middle English despoilen<Old French despoillier<Latin dēspoliāre to strip, rob, plunder, equivalent to dē-de- + spoliāre to plunder; see spoil

OTHER WORDS FROM despoil

de·spoil·er, nounde·spoil·ment, nounun·de·spoiled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to despoil

denude, depopulate, maraud, vandalize, desolate, devastate, dispossess, divest, wreck, pillage, rob, strip, sack, deprive, plunder, devour, spoil, rifle, raid, loot

Example sentences from the Web for despoil

British Dictionary definitions for despoil

despoil
/ (dɪˈspɔɪl) /

verb

(tr) to strip or deprive by force; plunder; rob; loot

Derived forms of despoil

despoiler, noundespoilment, noun

Word Origin for despoil

C13: from Old French despoillier, from Latin dēspoliāre, from de- + spoliāre to rob (esp of clothing); see spoil
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012