What does "plunder" mean?
An instance of plundering.
Plunder
/ˈplʌndə/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instance of plundering.
- Grammar: plunder is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: booty, loot, pillage, artifact looting.
- Useful contrasts: conserve, cultural preservation, defend.
- Usage evidence: When the pirates saw the handsome youth, who, they knew, would be a prize of greater value than all the plunder they could find in the fields, they ceased to pursue the goats or to search for other spoil, and dragged him to their vessel, while he wept in despair, and called loudly on his Chloe.
How to use "plunder"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plunder" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plunder" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plunder" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plunder" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plunder" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "booty" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plunder", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An instance of plundering. uncountable
- 2 goods or money obtained illegally wordnet
- 3 The loot attained by plundering. uncountable
"The Hessian kept his choicest plunder in a sack that never left his person, for fear that his comrades would steal it."
- 4 Baggage; luggage. dated, slang, uncountable
"[…] till a long-legged boy brought him out of his revery, by an offer to carry his “plunder,” in whatsoever direction he might desire to direct his steps."
- 5 The crime of amassing ill-gotten wealth by public officials through a combination or series of overt criminal acts. Philippines, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To pillage, take or destroy all the goods of, by force (as in war); to raid, sack. transitive
"The mercenaries plundered the small town."
- 2 destroy and strip of its possession wordnet
- 3 To take (goods) by pillage. transitive
"The mercenaries plundered all the goods they found."
- 4 steal goods; take as spoils wordnet
- 5 To take by force or wrongfully; to commit robbery or looting, to raid. intransitive
"“Now to plunder, mateys!” screamed a buccaneer, to cries of “Arrgh!” and “Aye!” all around."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 plunder (a town) after capture wordnet
- 7 To make extensive (over)use of, as if by plundering; to use or use up wrongfully. transitive
"The miners plundered the jungle for its diamonds till it became a muddy waste."
- 8 take illegally; of intellectual property wordnet
- 9 To take unexpectedly. transitive
"The Serb teed up Steve Davis, who crossed low for Graziano Pellè to plunder his fifth league goal of the campaign."
Example
"When the pirates saw the handsome youth, who, they knew, would be a prize of greater value than all the plunder they could find in the fields, they ceased to pursue the goats or to search for other spoil, and dragged him to their vessel, while he wept in despair, and called loudly on his Chloe."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plunder"?
Common synonyms include: booty, loot, pillage, artifact looting, banditry, blackmail.
How do you use "plunder" in a sentence?
When the pirates saw the handsome youth, who, they knew, would be a prize of greater value than all the plunder they could find in the fields, they ceased to pursue the goats or to search for other spoil, and dragged him to their vessel, while he wept in despair, and called loudly on his Chloe.
How do you pronounce "plunder"?
Pronounced /ˈplʌndə/.
Etymology
Recorded since 1632 during the Thirty Years War, native British use since the Cromwellian Civil War. Borrowed from German plündern (“to loot”), from Middle High German, from Middle Low German plunderen, from a noun originally meaning "household goods, bedding, clothing," of obscure ultimate origin. This is first attested in medieval records, and according to Gijsseling, is therefore attested too late to be considered a substrate word. Due to the lack of obvious cognates in other languages from which it would have been loaned, it could have developed as some slang word in Lower Saxony/the Low Countries. Cognate with Dutch plunderen, West Frisian plonderje, Saterland Frisian plunnerje. Probably denominal from a word for “household goods, clothes, bedding”; compare Middle Dutch plunder, German Plunder (“stuff”), Dutch and West Frisian plunje (“clothes”). The Philippine definition originates with the Anti-Plunder Act (Republic Act No. 7080).