PLUNDER Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'plunder' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of plunder are booty , loot , prize , spoils , and spoil . While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling. // a bootlegger's plunder

Q: When could 'booty' be used to replace 'plunder'?

The words booty and plunder are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates. // thieves dividing up their booty

Q: When would 'loot' be a good substitute for 'plunder'?

The synonyms loot and plunder are sometimes interchangeable, but loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe. // picked through the ruins for loot

Q: When is 'prize' a more appropriate choice than 'plunder'?

Although the words prize and plunder have much in common, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy. // the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

Q: How do 'spoil' and 'spoils' relate to one another, in the sense of 'plunder'?

Spoil , more commonly spoils , applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest. // the spoils of political victory

plunder 1 of 2

noun

Definition of plunder

as in loot

valuables stolen or taken by force the thieves were promptly arrested when they tried to sell their plunder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in possession

chiefly dialect transportable items that one owns with all of our plunder in the pickup, we headed for the state that bills itself as the Last Frontier

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

plunder

2 of 2

verb

ˈplən-dər

as in to pillage

to search through with the intent of committing robbery the escaped convict plundered the house in search of valuables

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun plunder differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of plunder are booty, loot, prize, spoils, and spoil. While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

When could booty be used to replace plunder?

The words booty and plunder are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When would loot be a good substitute for plunder?

The synonyms loot and plunder are sometimes interchangeable, but loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

When is prize a more appropriate choice than plunder?

Although the words prize and plunder have much in common, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

How do spoil and spoils relate to one another, in the sense of plunder?

Spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

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 plunder

Noun

The looter’s story only came to light thanks to Bradley Gordon, an American lawyer based in Cambodia who has spent much of the last 14 years investigating the plunder of Khmer cultural heritage. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 June 2026 The Pirates contributed to the plunder with two errors (both of which produced runs). — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 10 June 2026

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 The class-action deal covers relatives of people who donated bodies between January 2018 and March 2023, amid uncertainty over which cadavers Lodge plundered before cremation or return to families. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for plunder

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plunder

Noun

After that, Afghanistan descended into anarchy, with bands of warlords grabbing turf, loot, women, and boys.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
The coin may have reached Shetland through trade with England, though researchers have not ruled out the possibility it might have been taken as loot during a raid.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of loot

Noun

Salceda was charged with one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
She was given 10 days to surrender her certificate of naturalization, along with any copies in her possession, to government attorneys.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of possession

Verb

Shopkeepers who’ve found their livelihoods suddenly at stake wonder where the police were while groups looted and pillaged with impunity.

— Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
Sudan’s civil war, a conflict credibly described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has seen violence matched only by the belligerents’ rapacity in pillaging the country’s riches.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of pillage

Noun

Born in 1888, Jim Casey spent his life, starting at the tender age of eleven, thinking about how to deliver things more efficiently.

— Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
New York — Brett Smiley was elected mayor of Providence in 2022 on a pledge to build more housing and get things done in Rhode Island’s capital city.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of things

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

Noun

That opened the golfer up to having his girlfriend riffle through his belongings in order to make content for social media.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Contractors will continue working in the parking garage over the next four to six weeks before tenants can enter the Empire Towers building to retrieve their belongings, attorneys said.

— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of belongings

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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plums

plunder

plundered

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Style

“Plunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plunder. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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verb

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Synonyms of plunder

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