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despoil

[ dih-spoil ]
/ dɪˈspɔɪl /
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See synonyms for: despoil / despoiled / despoiling on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to strip of possessions, things of value, etc.; rob; plunder; pillage.
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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. 2023

Words related to despoil

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

How to use despoil in a sentence

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
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