verb
pillage
PIHL-ihj
Pillage (verb) means to loot or plunder a place by force, typically during war. Example: “The invading army pillaged every village along their route.”
verb
1
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."
— Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados Mysteries (1927)
"The invading army pillaged every village along their route."
noun
1
The act of looting, or the goods taken by looting.
"The town never recovered from the pillage of the invasion."
How to use pillage
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishViolent looting, usually in wartime.
Common pairings
pillage and plunder
pillage a village
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Word forms
- Plural
- pillages
- Third person singular
- pillages
- Past tense
- pillaged
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The invading army _____ every village along their route.
Etymology
From Old French piller, "to plunder," possibly ultimately related to Latin pilus, "hair" (via a figurative sense of stripping something bare).
Synonyms
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Rhymes for pillage
See all rhymes for 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.
