pillaged

verb

past tense of pillage
as in plundered
to search through with the intent of committing robbery soldiers pillaging the countryside for anything of value

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 pillaged For decades, tomb raiders have pillaged sites across the country, selling them on the black market. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 June 2026 Many prehistoric structures were pillaged for rock, but a remarkable number are intact. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 In a landscape of sequels and overly pillaged IP, the Stranger Things finale is finite and close-ended, the credits rolling once and for all. — Yohana Desta, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2026 One by one, from Rhode Island to Georgia, rioters in each colony pillaged collectors’ wine cellars, drank all their liquor and forced them to publicly resign. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 June 2026 North Texas — whose roster was pillaged in the portal and saw its top players leave for Oklahoma State alongside former head coach Eric Morris — have signed 42 transfers. — Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026 At the same time, members of the powerful Viv Ansanm gang coalition had pillaged and/or burned at least 410 residences and other buildings, including six schools, health centers and local nongovernmental organizations during the period. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pillaged
  1. plundered
  2. looted
  3. despoiled
  4. sacked
  5. raided
Verb
  • The Stuttgart striker plundered two second-half goals, including a stoppage-time winner, to earn his side a place in the last 32.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 20 June 2026
  • Which were left to be plundered and destroyed?
    — Amer Matar, The Dial, 26 May 2026
Definition of plundered
Verb
  • In May of this year, the Commission for the Compensation of Victims of Spoliation (CIVS), which determines if artworks were Nazi-looted, failed to reach a definitive conclusion.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 30 June 2026
  • Though it had been looted by kids, most of the material was eventually recovered.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of looted
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 despoiled
Verb
  • That came in the spring of 2025, about 11 months after his dad had been sacked as coach, when Pochettino, the new manager, gave the younger Berhalter his first national team call-up.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • Alfaro had just been sacked by San Lorenzo, his eighth job in 14 years since starting as a 30-year-old following a brief playing career in Argentina.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of sacked
Verb
  • The Fulton County Election Hub in Union City was raided by the FBI in January and hundreds of election materials were seized.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Subpoenas were issued June 8, the same day FBI agents raided both men’s houses and the assessor’s office.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Definition of raided

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Cite this Entry

“Pillaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pillaged. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pillaged

Nglish: Translation of pillaged for Spanish Speakers

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