plunder
verb /ˈplʌndə(r)/
/ˈplʌndər/
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they plunder | /ˈplʌndə(r)/ /ˈplʌndər/ |
| he / she / it plunders | /ˈplʌndəz/ /ˈplʌndərz/ |
| past simple plundered | /ˈplʌndəd/ /ˈplʌndərd/ |
| past participle plundered | /ˈplʌndəd/ /ˈplʌndərd/ |
| -ing form plundering | /ˈplʌndərɪŋ/ /ˈplʌndərɪŋ/ |
- to steal things from a place, especially using force during a time of war synonym pillage
- The troops crossed the country, plundering and looting as they went.
- Delhi was captured and plundered in 1739.
- plunder something (of something) The abbey had been plundered of its valuables.
- plunder something (from something) Only a small amount of the money that he plundered from his companies has been recovered.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from German plündern, literally ‘rob of household goods’, from Middle High German plunder ‘household effects’. Early use of the verb was with reference to the Thirty Years War (reflecting German usage); on the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642, the word and activity were associated with the forces under Prince Rupert.