1632 Swedish Intelligencer i. 2 The plundering of his Subjects houses.

1642 W. Prynne Moderate Reply to Declaration sig. A2 Sir Edward Bayntons warrant..gave warning to men, that they might escape plundering. [Note] Though it is constantly affirmed that the word plundering [misprinted plundeting] is not in the warrant.

1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso i. lxxxvii. 172 The ruines, plundrings, affronts, and..desolations which she had received.

1700 J. Tyrrell Gen. Hist. Eng. II. 792 There were cruel Plunderings and Burnings committed in that Province.

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. vi. vii. 153 The far greater part of the gold..was got by so very easy a method as the plundering of the defenceless natives. View more context for this quotation

1819 A. Salamé Narr. Exped. Algiers 175 It is well known that the Algerine government are very rich, by their plundering at sea.

1873 Spectator 22 Feb. 236/2 Representatives who..will abstain from actual bribes or actual plundering of the State till.

1941 Manch. Guardian Weekly 31 Jan. 82 Plundering of Jewish property goes on, and the majority of Jewish shops in Prague have already become ‘Aryanised’.

2003 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 13 Mar. 43/2 The struggle for the acquisition of personal wealth through the conquest and plundering of state offices.

1642 Bp. J. Taylor Of Sacred Order Episcopacy xl. 282 But for all their plundering, and confounding, their bold pretences have made this discourse necessary.

1641 T. Jordan Pictures of Passions, Fancies, & Affections sig. B7 (title) A plundering coward.

1684 J. Harington Grecian Story iv. 213 And Her's by Souldiers Siez'd, o'th' Plundering score.

1776 W. J. Mickle tr. L. de Camoens Lusiad iii. 116 The plundering bands far round the region haste.

1790 R. Burns Tam o' Shanter 194 in Poems & Songs (1968) II. 563 As bees bizz out wi' angry fyke, When plundering herds assail their byke.

1827 R. Emmons Fredoniad III. xxvii. 212 Thus plundering wolves when driven to their cave.

1859 R. F. Burton Lake Regions Central Afr. in Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 29 116 A place of comparative plenty when the plundering Wahumba do not interfere.

1910 Encycl. Brit. II. 683/1 Arthur..took vigorous measures against the plundering bands of soldiers and peasants.

2000 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 16 July a1 Her mission to protect Columbia gorge artifacts from plundering thieves and thoughtless visitors.