pillage

14 synonyms for pillage, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To loot or plunder a place by force, typically during war.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

prize strip

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

rifle booty loot

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

swag plunder foray ransack plundering reave despoil pillaging dirty money

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To loot or plunder a place by force, typically during war.

“So far as Pridger was concerned the game was up. He had cooked the buying, he had cooked the selling, he had systematically pillaged the stock.”

prize strip rifle booty loot swag plunder foray ransack plundering reave despoil pillaging dirty money

2. noun

The act of looting, or the goods taken by looting.

“The town never recovered from the pillage of the invasion.”

swag pillaging plundering booty loot prize plunder

How to use pillage

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

pillage and plunder pillage a village

Etymology

From Old French piller, "to plunder," possibly ultimately related to Latin pilus, "hair" (via a figurative sense of stripping something bare).

Full origin of pillage →

Frequently asked questions

What does “pillage” mean?

The word “pillage” means to loot or plunder a place by force, typically during war. In plain terms, violent looting, usually in wartime.

How do you pronounce “pillage”?

“Pillage” is pronounced PIHL-ihj (/ˈpɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/ in IPA).

How do you use “pillage” in a sentence?

Here is “pillage” used in a sentence: “The invading army pillaged every village along their route.”

What part of speech is “pillage”?

Depending on how it is used, “pillage” can be a verb and a noun.

Where does the word “pillage” come from?

The word “pillage” comes from Latin. From Old French piller, "to plunder," possibly ultimately related to Latin pilus, "hair" (via a figurative sense of stripping something bare).

How many meanings does “pillage” have?

“Pillage” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to loot or plunder a place by force, typically during war.

People also searched

prize strip rifle booty loot swag plunder reave despoil foray ransack plundering

Nearby words

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