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spoliate

American  
[spoh-lee-eyt] / ˈspoʊ liˌeɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

spoliated, spoliating

  1. to plunder, rob, or ruin.

spoliate British  
/ ˈspəʊlɪˌeɪt /

verb

  1. a less common word for despoil

"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

Other Word Forms

  • spoliator noun

Etymology

Origin of spoliate

1715–25; < Latin spoliātus, past participle of spoliāre to spoil. See spoil, -ate 1

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.

"He intends to spoliate Austria as mercilessly as he formerly plundered Hamburg and the whole of Northern Germany," said the emperor, shrugging his shoulders.

From Andreas Hofer by Mühlbach, L. (Luise)

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.