Thesaurus results for PILLAGE

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

pillage 1 of 2

noun

ˈpi-lij

Definition of pillage

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

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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

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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

These are curated from the titles that were most frequently picked up in the Criterion Closet, that magical room full of the company’s releases that visiting filmmakers and luminaries are invited to peruse and pillage. — Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024 At only 6 years old, Esai Reed has endured three emergency evacuations from orphanages across Haiti as gangs pillage and plunder their way through once peaceful communities. — Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2024

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 But Nolan also throws a meditative new wrinkle into the story, as Odysseus comes to grips with his role in the Trojan War, leading the charge as his men raped, murdered and pillaged in his name. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pillage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillage

Noun

Their rackets—plunder, opium trafficking, and much else—were often run not by members of established yakuza gangs but by fixers and political operators who exploited their connections with the Imperial Japanese Army.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The law came in response to the historic genocide against Indigenous peoples, the forcible removal from their ancestral lands and widespread plunder of Indian grave sites by European settlers, the American government and zealous archaeologists.

— Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
The Paris march began peacefully, a week after widespread rioting and looting during protests across the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of loot

Verb

Then the defense picked it up last week, picking off Justin Herbert twice (one was called back) and sacking him four times.

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
When Ole Miss sacked Manning early in the second half and recovered his fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, there was a run on antacids at the concession stands.

— Mac Engel October 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of sack

Verb

One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
In the 21st century, oil extraction has become a serious threat to Ecuadoran Amazonia, with large swaths of forest, often located in Indigenous territories, despoiled by the release of wastewater from the wells.

— Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026

Definition of despoil

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pill

pillage

pillaged

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“Pillage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillage. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pillage

noun

verb

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