pillage 1 of 2

noun

ˈpi-lij How to pronounce pillage (audio)
Definition of pillagenext
as in plunder
valuables stolen or taken by force the pirate ship was laden with the pillage of merchant ships from across the Spanish Main

Synonyms & Similar Words

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pillage

2 of 2

verb

as in to plunder
to search through with the intent of committing robbery soldiers pillaging the countryside for anything of value

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pillage contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pillage are despoil, devastate, ravage, sack, and waste. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

Where would despoil be a reasonable alternative to pillage?

In some situations, the words despoil and pillage are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of pillage?

The synonyms devastate and pillage are sometimes interchangeable, but devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

When might ravage be a better fit than pillage?

While the synonyms ravage and pillage are close in meaning, ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

When would sack be a good substitute for pillage?

The words sack and pillage can be used in similar contexts, but sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

When could waste be used to replace pillage?

The words waste and pillage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pillage
Noun
In my youth, people who needed a geopolitical enemy looked for foes closer to home: US imperialism, capitalist pillage. —Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023 Slave-trading, mostly, along with mass murder, pillage and corruption. —Sam Sacks, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2023
Verb
After pillaging and gutting the U.S. government, the Western alliance and our relationship with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump is thinking of himself as a king and cogitating on a third term. —Maureen Dowd, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025 Capitals were pillaged, towns were razed, and friendships were irreparably fractured. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 17 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pillage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillage
  1. plunder
  2. loot
  3. sack
  4. despoil
Noun
  • And two, even for the plunder of a smash and grab, that seems a sloppy hiding place.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
  • While in Africa, Suchet visits Kimberley, the site of diamond mines (and where Rhodes founded the De Beers diamond company), and the plunder and extraction are so clear.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of plunder
Verb
  • Police say just before midnight that 10 people had been arrested citywide, including seven for breaking curfew and two for looting.
    — Steve Earley, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Their testimonies—detailing missing relatives, murdered family members, homes looted then burned—should shake us to our core.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of loot
Verb
  • The city was sacked again — this time by the Turks — and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.
    — Danuta Hamlin, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
  • At the crossroads of Roman roads in ancient Gaul, Cassel was sacked by the Vikings in the late 9th century, and later became a 17th-century war prize fought over by France and Spain.
    — Mary Winston Nicklin, AFAR Media, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of sack
Verb
  • Anderson prefers to characterize Loewe as a cultural brand rather than a luxury one, finding the latter term despoiled.
    — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Growth in Africa must be clean, both in terms of generating energy and not despoiling the continent’s landscape and natural resources.
    — Jack A. Goldstone, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2023
Definition of despoil

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Pillage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillage. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of pillage for Spanish Speakers

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