despoiling 1 of 2

despoiling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of despoil
as in pillaging
to search through with the intent of committing robbery the burglars despoiled the art museum in search of treasures they thought they could sell to a fence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for despoiling
Noun
  • These are curated from the titles that were most frequently picked up in the Criterion Closet, that magical room full of the company’s releases that visiting filmmakers and luminaries are invited to peruse and pillage.
    Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
  • At only 6 years old, Esai Reed has endured three emergency evacuations from orphanages across Haiti as gangs pillage and plunder their way through once peaceful communities.
    Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • And two, even for the plunder of a smash and grab, that seems a sloppy hiding place.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
  • While in Africa, Suchet visits Kimberley, the site of diamond mines (and where Rhodes founded the De Beers diamond company), and the plunder and extraction are so clear.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Dallas sacking Washington’s quarterbacks six times — Daniels four times — on Sunday upped the Commanders’ allowed sacks total to 22 over the last five games.
    Ben Standig, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Dallas sacking Washington’s quarterbacks six times — Daniels four times — on Sunday upped the Commanders’ allowed sacks total to 22 over the last five games.
    Ben Standig, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • An attorney who allows a client to continue using their phone risks spoliation as normal usage can overwrite or erase crucial data.
    Lars Daniel, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
  • That amounts to spoliation, the defense claims, and should result in the dismissal of the charges against Trump.
    Perry Stein, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
Noun
  • They’re also endangered due to exotic animal poaching, habitat loss, and predation from an invasive rat species.
    Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2025
  • See, most shark bite fossils document predation attempts or scavenging, where teeth left their marks on bones and other hard tissues.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Despoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despoiling. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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