despoil
verb (used with object)
to strip of possessions, things of value, etc.; rob; plunder; pillage.
have despoiled
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present perfectof despoil.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Artifishal, a new documentary about salmon, might, in less capable hands, have been a tiresome screed, another damning diary of how humans have despoiled the Earth.
From The Guardian ● May 8, 2019
All but you and Sir Hugh l'Estrange, they have despoiled and plagued the folk.
From Masters of the Guild by L. Lamprey
In 1834, the Boston and Providence Railroad cut through this estate, and from time to time other innovations have despoiled it of its grandeur and beauty.
From Annals and Reminiscences of Jamaica Plain by Harriet Manning Whitcomb
If we could have despoiled Bell of his picture it would have been utterly useless for him to have come here.
From The Crimson Blind by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White
They have stripped me of all the good things which my one true Lover gave me; they have despoiled me of all honour, joy, and consolation.
From Light, Life, and Love : selections from the German mystics of the middle ages by William Ralph Inge
