definitions

despoil

[ dih-spoil ]
/ dɪˈspɔɪl /
||

verb (used with object)

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

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

despicable, despise, despite, despiteful, despiteous, despoil, despoliation, despond, despondency, despondent, despot

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

SYNONYMS FOR despoil

dispossess, divest; rifle, sack; fleece.

Related forms

de·spoil·er, nounde·spoil·ment, nounun·de·spoiled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for despoiled

British Dictionary definitions for despoiled

despoil

/ (dɪˈspɔɪl) /

verb

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

Derived Forms

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