plunder
Americanverb (used with object)
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plunders,
present (3rd person singular)
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plundered,
past participle, past
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plundering
present participle
verb (used without object)
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plunders,
present (3rd person singular)
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plundered,
past participle, past
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plundering
present participle
verb
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to steal (valuables, goods, sacred items, etc) from (a town, church, etc) by force, esp in time of war; loot
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(tr) to rob or steal (choice or desirable things) from (a place)
to plunder an orchard
noun
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anything taken by plundering or theft; booty
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the act of plundering; pillage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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plunderernoun
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plunderableadjective
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plunderousadjective
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unplunderedadjective
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unplunderousadjective
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plunderinglyadverb
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unplunderouslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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plundersimple
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plunderssimple
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have plunderedperfect
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has plunderedperfect
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am plunderingprogressive
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are plunderingprogressive
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is plunderingprogressive
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have been plunderingperfect progressive
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has been plunderingperfect progressive
Past
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plunderedsimple
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had plunderedperfect
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was plunderingprogressive
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were plunderingprogressive
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had been plunderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plunder
First recorded in 1620–30, plunder is from the Dutch word plunderen
Explanation
Plunder can mean stolen goods or money obtained illegally, or the act of taking those things. A burglar might plunder a jewelry store and then sneak off with her plunder. Plunder is an old Middle High German word that originally meant "household goods and clothes": in other words, your stuff. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), English speakers acquired this word while fighting in the land that is today Germany, but with the added meaning of taking the plunder as, well, plunder. As both a noun and verb, a synonym for plunder is loot.
Vocabulary lists containing plunder
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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The Odyssey
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
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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.
See Examples For:
Navy engaged with the British yet again, it also once more exposed American ships traveling Mediterranean to plunder from Barbary pirates, later resulting in the Second Barbary War.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
A special anti-graft court ordered his arrest Monday, days after Estrada, son of former Philippine president Joseph Estrada, was charged with plunder, defined in the Philippines as large-scale corruption.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
The movie toggles between the two narratives, slyly exploring the ways creators plunder the lives of those they know in the quest for a good story.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
And hey, did you know that the word “raptor”—which is often used to describe birds of prey—comes from the Latin verb rapio, which means to plunder, rob, ravish, or abduct?
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2026
They were greedy for plunder and booty and pleased to be on what they were sure would be the winning side.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
A blend of Islamic and Hindu beliefs has long served as a conservation code, with supernatural guardians believed to punish anyone who plunders the forest for greed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
If you have heard at all about guardianship for older adults, chances are that it has been about a predatory guardian who plunders the estate of a helpless older person.
From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2018
The narrator thinks about the way he plunders the lives of those around him.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 13, 2018
Before anyone calls a lawyer, it is important to say that the Ontario woman whose life she plunders most is herself.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 8, 2012
Unshaven and unshorn since he left Rome last, he joins Cinna, leading six thousand fugitives, seizes and plunders the towns about Rome, while Cinna encamps beneath the walls.
From Ave Roma Immortalis, Vol. 1 Studies from the Chronicles of Rome by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford
He played in a typically positive fashion, striking at 97.85 as he plundered 11 fours and two sixes before falling for 91, just short of a second ODI ton.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
An artwork plundered by the Nazis from the world-famous Goudstikker collection has surfaced in the family of a notorious SS collaborator in the Netherlands, Dutch art detective Arthur Brand told AFP Monday.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Kim Jong Un’s cyber army has plundered billions of dollars from the crypto industry in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Kane plundered six goals in just five games against Norwich, including a pair of braces in 2015-16.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
In peacetime you are plundered by them, in war by your enemies.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Think of American shipping companies plundering British ships, which was common practice once upon a time.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
The U.S. attorney for northern Mississippi highlighted a former federal employee convicted of plundering a pandemic-era loan program for distressed small businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s all chintzy and campy, the plundering of low-hanging fruit.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Estrada was charged in 2014 with plundering millions of dollars meant for government development projects, but the court acquitted him a decade later.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
It was used to keep away leopards and—and—she almost had it—to keep witches from plundering graves!
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
