spoliation
Americannoun
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the act or an instance of plundering or despoiling.
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authorized plundering of neutrals at sea in time of war.
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Law. the destruction or material alteration of a bill of exchange, will, or the like.
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the act of spoiling or damaging something.
noun
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the act or an instance of despoiling or plundering
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the authorized seizure or plundering of neutral vessels on the seas by a belligerent state in time of war
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law the material alteration of a document so as to render it invalid
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English ecclesiastical law the taking of the fruits of a benefice by a person not entitled to them
Other Word Forms
- spoliatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of spoliation
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin spoliātiōn- (stem of spoliātiō ), equivalent to spoliāt ( us ) (past participle of spoliāre to spoil; -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion
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.
Tate director Maria Balshaw said it was "a profound privilege to help reunite this work with its rightful heirs" and that she was "delighted to see the spoliation process working successfully to make this happen".
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025
“The City’s conduct cannot be excused as ‘imperfect document management;’ ... its ‘explanation’ for its admitted spoliation is unconvincing to say the least.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2024
So the Advisory Commission, which arbitrates between the victims of spoliation and the holders of disputed cultural property, is often claimants’ only recourse.
From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2021
But, Powell wrote, the law on intentional or unintentional evidence spoliation, or destruction, is clear, and "requires the assumption that the evidence is favorable to the defense."
From Fox News • Nov. 4, 2019
The spoliation of the Holy See, as the reader may now perceive, is after all an old story.
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Rameur, E.
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.
