plunder

American  

[pluhn-der] / ˈplʌn dər /

verb (used with object)

1. to rob of goods or valuables by open force, as in war, hostile raids, brigandage, etc...

   to plunder a town.

   Synonyms:

   devastate, sack, ravage, rape

2. to rob, despoil, or fleece.

   to plunder the public treasury.

3. to take wrongfully, as by pillage, robbery, or fraud.

   to plunder a piece of property.

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verb (used without object)

1. to take plunder; pillage.

noun

1. plundering, pillage, or spoliation.

   Synonyms:

   robbery, rapine

2. that which is taken in plundering; loot.

   Synonyms:

   spoils, booty, booty

3. anything taken by robbery, theft, or fraud.

plunder British  

/ ˈplʌndə /

verb

1. to steal (valuables, goods, sacred items, etc) from (a town, church, etc) by force, esp in time of war; loot

2. (tr) to rob or steal (choice or desirable things) from (a place)

   to plunder an orchard

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noun

1. anything taken by plundering or theft; booty

2. the act of plundering; pillage

Other Word Forms

• plunderable adjective
• plunderer noun
• plunderingly adverb
• plunderous adjective
• unplundered adjective
• unplunderous adjective
• unplunderously adverb

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.

Example Sentences

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

But prosecutors said the real aim was to "plunder their bank accounts".

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

But after helming the country for nine years, Najib is now behind bars, serving a six-year sentence for graft linked to the plunder of Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025

One of the downsides of our movie-mad filmmakers — the Quentin Tarantinos who happily plunder from cinema’s illustrious past — is that their worldview can be myopic beyond what’s up there on the screen.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

It seemed to me that our own rules redoubled plunder.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Related Words

• devastate
• liberate
• loot
• pillage
• ransack
• requisition
• rob
• salvage