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

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

But the preoccupations among the conquistadores are plunder, religious conversions or, in Magellan’s case, an impulse to bring the world to his feet by making it navigable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 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

With CGI-enhanced action, thunderous fight sequences and dialogue like, "I enter politics not to plunder, but to serve", the film blurs fiction and intent.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

She grinned, thinking that she’d allow her sister to return with her to plunder them, but only if Angeline changed her ways.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

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