Meanings
present singular third person pillages · participle present pillaging · participle past pillaged · past pillaged
- ambitransitiveTo loot or plunder by force, especially in time of war.
1911, Sabine Baring-Gould, Castles and Cave Dwellings of Europe, Chapter VI: Cliff Castles—Continued, Archibald V. (1361-1397) was Count of Perigord. He was nominally under the lilies [France], but he pillaged indiscriminately in his county.
1 more example
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.
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados MysteriesSynonyms: harry
plural pillages
- countableuncountableThe spoils of war.
Which pillage they with merry march bring home.
1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]Synonyms: booty
- countableuncountableThe act of pillaging.
An employee at a brewery in Kinshasa rated the aftermath as more catastrophic to the company than the direct violence: It was more the consequences of the pillages that hit Bracongo – the poverty of the people, our friends who buy beer.
2013, Zoë Marriage, Formal Peace and Informal War: Security and Development in Congo
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo loot or plunder by force, especially in time of war.
nounThe spoils of war.
More synonyms by meaning
noungoods or money obtained illegally
nounthe act of stealing valuable things from a place
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinpilō“to remove (hair)”
- Late Latinpiliō
- Old Frenchpillage
- Englishpillage
From Old French pillage, from piller (“plunder”), from an unattested meaning of Late Latin piliō, probably a figurative use of Latin pilō (“to remove (hair)”), from pilus (“hair”).
More words from Old French, Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek συλάω
- συλάω (suláō)loot or plunder by force
Arabic غَزَاوَة
- غَزَاوَة (ḡazāwa)the act of pillaging
Bulgarian ограбвам, плячкосвам
- ограбвам (ograbvam)loot or plunder by force
- плячкосвам (pljačkosvam)loot or plunder by force
- плячка (pljačka)the spoils of war
- грабеж (grabež)the act of pillaging
- плячкосване (pljačkosvane)the act of pillaging
Catalan saquejar, saqueig
- saquejarloot or plunder by force
- saqueigthe act of pillaging
- pillatgethe act of pillaging
Chinese Mandarin 掠奪 /掠夺
- 掠奪 /掠夺 (lüèduó)loot or plunder by force
Czech drancovat, plenit
- drancovatloot or plunder by force
- plenitloot or plunder by force
- pleněníthe act of pillaging
- drancováníthe act of pillaging
Danish plyndre
- plyndreloot or plunder by force
Dutch plunderen, oorlogsbuiit
- plunderenloot or plunder by force
- oorlogsbuiitthe spoils of war
- plunderingthe act of pillaging
Estonian rüüstama, rüüstamine
- rüüstamaloot or plunder by force
- rüüstaminethe act of pillaging
Finnish ryöstää, hävittää
- ryöstääloot or plunder by force
- hävittääloot or plunder by force
- rosvotaloot or plunder by force
- sotasaalisthe spoils of war
- ryöstäminenthe act of pillaging
- ryöväysthe act of pillaging
French piller, pillage
- pillerloot or plunder by force
- pillagethe spoils of war
- pillagethe act of pillaging
German plündern, Plünderung
- plündernloot or plunder by force
- Plünderungthe act of pillaging
Greek λεηλατώ, κουρσεύω
- λεηλατώ (leïlató)loot or plunder by force
- κουρσεύω (koursévo)loot or plunder by force
- διαγουμίζω (diagoumízo)loot or plunder by force
- λάφυρα (láfyra)the spoils of war
- λεηλασία (leïlasía)the act of pillaging
- πλιάτσικο (pliátsiko)the act of pillaging
- κούρσεμα (koúrsema)the act of pillaging
- διαγούμισμα (diagoúmisma)the act of pillaging
Hebrew שדד, שלל
- שדד (shadád)loot or plunder by force
- שלל (shalál)the spoils of war
- ביזה (bizá)the act of pillaging
Icelandic ræna, rupla
- rænaloot or plunder by force
- ruplaloot or plunder by force
Indonesian menjarah
- menjarahloot or plunder by force
Irish slad, creach
- sladloot or plunder by force
- creachloot or plunder by force
- sladthe spoils of war
- sladthe act of pillaging
- sladaíochtthe act of pillaging
- sladaireachtthe act of pillaging
Italian saccheggiare, bottino
- saccheggiareloot or plunder by force
- bottinothe spoils of war
- saccheggiothe act of pillaging
Japanese 略奪する, 略奪品
- 略奪する (ryakudatsu suru)loot or plunder by force
- 略奪品 (ryakudatsuhin)the spoils of war
- 略奪 (ryakudatsu)the act of pillaging
Korean 약탈하다, 전리품
- 약탈하다 (yaktalhada)loot or plunder by force
- 전리품 (jeollipum)the spoils of war
- 약탈 (yaktal)the act of pillaging
Latin praedor, expīlō
- praedorloot or plunder by force
- expīlōloot or plunder by force
- populorloot or plunder by force
- praedesthe spoils of war
- rapīnathe act of pillaging
Latvian sirot, sirojums
- sirotloot or plunder by force
- sirojumsthe act of pillaging
Māori pāhuahua, pāhua
- pāhuahualoot or plunder by force
- pāhualoot or plunder by force
- pāhueloot or plunder by force
- paraketethe spoils of war
Norwegian plyndre
- plyndreloot or plunder by force
Polish plądrować
- plądrowaćloot or plunder by force
Portuguese pilhar, saquear
- pilharloot or plunder by force
- saquearloot or plunder by force
- saquethe spoils of war
- butimthe spoils of war
- saquethe act of pillaging
- pilhagemthe act of pillaging
Romanian prăda
- prădaloot or plunder by force
Russian гра́бить, награ́бленное добро́
- гра́бить (grábitʹ)loot or plunder by force
- награ́бленное добро́ (nagráblennoje dobró)the spoils of war
- трофе́и (troféi)the spoils of war
- добы́ча (dobýča)the spoils of war
- грабёж (grabjóž)the act of pillaging
- разграбле́ние (razgrablénije)the act of pillaging
- разбо́й (razbój)the act of pillaging
Spanish pillar, pillaje
- pillarloot or plunder by force
- pillajethe act of pillaging
Swedish plundra, plundring
- plundraloot or plunder by force
- plundringthe act of pillaging
Turkish yağma, talan
- yağmaloot or plunder by force
- talanloot or plunder by force
- çapulculukloot or plunder by force
Welsh diffeithio
- diffeithioloot or plunder by force
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with pillage
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
pillage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pillage
“pillage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pillage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pillage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pillage.
Source: pillage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.