plunder
gb/plˈʌndɚ/ us/plˈʌndɚ/
C1
Englisch
~ 26400
Bedeutungen
0 Bedeutungen
Verb
C1
action
1
steal goods by force or in war
to steal things by force from a place, especially during war or when there is no order
Verwendungsmuster:
to plunder [a place] / plunder [someone/something]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes use "plunder" for any kind of small or secret stealing. "Plunder" is usually used for large-scale, violent stealing during war, invasion, or serious disorder, not for a quiet theft of one item.
Synonyme
loot (very close in meaning; slightly more common in everyday English for stealing during riots or war.)
Antonyme
protect (to keep people or property safe instead of stealing or harming them.)
Wortverbindungen
plunder villages
|plunder a city
|plunder and burn
|invade and plunder
|plunder the countryside
|armies plundered
Themen
crime
|war
|history
|law
|politics
Beispiele
- The invading soldiers plundered the town and set many houses on fire.
- Pirates would plunder coastal villages, taking gold, food, and prisoners.
- During the chaos, gangs plundered shops and warehouses across the city.
- The army was accused of plundering museums and historic churches.
- They plundered the countryside for food as they marched north.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The enemy army plundered the small village.
- Pirates plundered the ship and took all the gold.
- During the war, soldiers plundered many homes.
- Robbers broke in and plundered the store at night.
Nomen
C1
entity
2
goods stolen by force
things like money or goods that are stolen by force, especially in war
Verwendungsmuster:
[someone]'s plunder / a pile of plunder
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes use "plunder" to mean any kind of prize or reward. It specifically means property taken illegally and often violently, not a fair reward or payment.
Synonyme
loot (very close in meaning; slightly more common and slightly less formal than "plunder".)
Antonyme
property (refers to things legally owned, in contrast to goods taken illegally as plunder.)
Wortverbindungen
share the plunder
|divide the plunder
|return the plunder
|war plunder
|stolen plunder
|bags of plunder
Themen
crime
|war
|history
|law
|politics
Beispiele
- The soldiers loaded their plunder onto wagons before leaving the city.
- Police discovered rooms full of wartime plunder hidden in the cellar.
- The pirates argued over how to divide the plunder from the captured ship.
- Much of the museum's collection was later revealed to be Nazi plunder.
- They carried off gold and silver as plunder after the battle.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The pirates showed their plunder to the captain.
- The thieves hid the plunder in an old house.
- Soldiers filled the cart with plunder from the town.
- The king ordered the army to return all the plunder.
Verb
C1
action
3
exploit resources or wealth unfairly
to take money or natural things like oil or wood in a very unfair and damaging way, usually to get rich
Verwendungsmuster:
to plunder [resources/wealth/funds] / plunder [a country/company]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes think this sense is only about war. In modern news and politics, "plunder" is often used for economic or environmental damage done for profit, even in peacetime.
Synonyme
exploit (focuses more on unfair use than on the idea of stealing; can sound slightly more technical or neutral depending on context.)
Antonyme
preserve (to protect and keep resources safe, the opposite of taking them in a damaging way.)
Wortverbindungen
plunder natural resources
|plunder the environment
|plunder public funds
|plunder a nation's wealth
|plunder the company
|corporations plunder
Themen
environment
|business
|politics
|nature
Beispiele
- Critics say the government is plundering public funds to pay for private projects.
- For decades, companies have plundered the rainforest for timber and minerals.
- The dictator and his family plundered the nation's wealth before fleeing into exile.
- Unscrupulous investors plundered the pension fund and left thousands with nothing.
- They accused foreign corporations of plundering local resources without fair payment.
Beispiele für Lernende
- Big companies plunder the forest for wood.
- The leader plundered the country's money.
- They plundered the land and left nothing for the people.
- Corrupt officials plunder public funds for themselves.
Nomen
C1
entity
4
wealth taken unfairly or illegally
money or other valuable things that are taken in a very unfair or illegal way, often by powerful people
Verwendungsmuster:
[someone]'s plunder / political plunder
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may confuse this with any kind of wealth. "Plunder" here always suggests that the wealth was gained in a wrong or harmful way, not just that it is a large amount of money.
Synonyme
spoils (often used for benefits or profits gained, especially in politics or war; slightly more formal and broader in meaning.)
Antonyme
earnings (money gained in a fair and legal way through work, the opposite of taking value through plunder.)
Wortverbindungen
political plunder
|economic plunder
|recover the plunder
|share in the plunder
|ill-gotten plunder
|guard their plunder
Themen
business
|politics
|crime
|finance
|law
Beispiele
- The offshore accounts were filled with the dictator's plunder.
- They lived in luxury on the plunder of corrupt business deals.
- Investigators worked to trace the plunder taken from public banks.
- The report described the privatization program as pure plunder by a small elite.
- He eventually returned much of his plunder in exchange for a shorter sentence.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The rich man hid his plunder in another country.
- They bought big houses with their plunder.
- The court tried to take back the plunder from the corrupt leaders.
- She refused to share in their plunder.
Grammatik
Grundform
plunder
IPA
GB/plˈʌndɚ/
US/plˈʌndɚ/
Silben & Betonung
plun - der (2 Silben)
Stress on 1st syllable (plun)
Wortformen
Noun
- Base: plunder
- Plural: plunder
Verb
- Base: plunder
- 3rd Person Singular: plunders
- Present Participle: plundering
- Past: plundered
Wortfamilie
Forms
plunders
verb
plundering
verb
plundered
verb
Core family
plunderer
noun
Related words
loot
verb
looter
noun
pillage
verb
Ausdrücke
loot and plunder
1/lˈut ˈænd plˈʌndɚ/
fixed phrase
steal goods by force in chaos
to steal many things by force, especially during war, riots, or when there is no order
Beispiele
- During the civil war, armed groups roamed the countryside to loot and plunder.
- The film shows pirates who loot and plunder ships on the open sea.
plunder and pillage
1/plˈʌndɚ ˈænd pˈɪlɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
literary
steal and destroy in war
to steal many things and destroy towns or homes during war or invasion
Beispiele
- The raiders crossed the sea to plunder and pillage foreign coasts.
- For centuries, armies would plunder and pillage every city they conquered.
rape and plunder
1/ɹˈeɪp ˈænd plˈʌndɚ/
fixed phrase
vulgar
commit sexual violence and steal in war
to attack people sexually and steal things by force during war or invasion
Beispiele
- The army was accused of rape and plunder as it moved through the region.
- Historians describe the invasion as a time of rape and plunder.