Thesaurus results for PILLAGING

pillaging 1 of 2

noun

as in looting

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pillaging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pillage

as in plundering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pillaging

Noun

Homer may have viewed Odysseus’s deceit and pillaging as glorious. — Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026 Taking the Scenic Route Home After their successful sneak-attack pillaging of Troy, Odysseus’ comrade Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his men pack up and head back to Sparta. — Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 17 July 2026 Amid the pillaging of homes, Roman magistrates were likely sent to the city to prevent an anarchic type of existence, based on ancient literary sources the authors referenced in the study. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025 In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging. — Brandon Prins, The Conversation, 14 July 2025

Verb

Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits. — Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 At a time when security measures were more relaxed, hard-up antique print dealer Robert Kindred spent the summer of 1980 pillaging rare books and antique illustrations from academic libraries nationwide. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026 But now, entry-level professionals are clinging to their childhood bedrooms and pillaging their family fridges as more are extending their stay than ever before. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 June 2026 Some commentators’ dark horses for the tournament, Norway qualified from Europe with a perfect record, pillaging goals at will, while mercilessly dispatching opponents. — Jonathan Thompson, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026 Picking up where episode 7 left off, Wayne (Toby Wallace) wakes up to Rue pillaging his safe. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026 OpenAI has been pillaging Apple’s hardware engineering ranks for talent to work on competitors to Apple’s smart home and mobile devices, while Meta is revamping its own AI wearables. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 May 2026 Then Joe Biden and his corrupt administration comes along and makes matters worse, allowing thousands of criminals to enter our country illegally, pillaging Americans while being pampered in luxury hotels on our dime. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 Certainly, its portrait of a futuristic society dominated by raping, pillaging youth gangs speaking a bizarre Russian-English hybrid slang struck a few different nerves — as did its tale of one teenage sociopath’s questionable reprogramming back into society after a stint in prison. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillaging

Noun

Cabinet members reserve almost a fifth of the government’s vaccine stockpile for themselves, and the public reacts with mass looting and violent civil unrest.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
Efforts to prevent looting had been made even before the formation of the MFAA.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Definition of looting

Verb

In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Nearly three decades later, Cornelius is still partying and plundering, though usually in a more relaxed fashion and with less of a Beach Boys influence.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of plundering

Noun

Jacari Talifero Gibson, 18, of Richmond, was arrested Monday afternoon on suspicion of murder and robbery, the El Cerrito Police Department said in a news release.

— Jason Green, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Hernandez-Montero, Salazar, Arenas and Mijares had gone to the hotel to scout where the kidnapping and robbery would take place before leaving to obtain supplies.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of robbery

Verb

Supposedly posing a threat to their idyll on the outskirts are various marauding splinter groups running amok through the barren wasteland of the American Mountain West.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
Other skulls and long bones uncovered at the site, which Carr says was among the most important in Miami-Dade, were destroyed by a gang of marauding boys.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Definition of marauding

Noun

Melissa Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, was arrested on federal charges of depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans' memorials, according to previous reporting.

— Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026
She was charged with depredation against federal property and destruction of veterans’ memorials.

— Liam Scott, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of depredation

Verb

Whereas owners previously diffused negative situations by sacking a head coach, changing a sporting director or someone prominent within the department can now have a similar effect.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
The museum replaced him with Sasha Suda, hiring her away from the National Gallery of Canada before sacking her following a disastrous rebrand and replacing her with Weiss, a former president of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

— News Desk, Artforum, 29 July 2026

Definition of sacking

Noun

To the family’s lawyer, Markus Stötzel, the case is a typical example of Nazi plunder in need of immediate restoration.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.

— Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

College sports’ current arms race of money, along with unrestricted transfers, is threatening to shut out rising challengers like UConn football, with rich teams now dangling lucrative offers and raiding talent like never before.

— U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Check it out… ‘Ruthless Podcast’ dives into Swalwell’s Fang Fang scandal and the FBI raiding his home.

— , FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of raiding

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pillaging

pillar

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“Pillaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillaging. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pillaging

noun

verb

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