Library / English Dictionary

DESPOIL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Destroy and strip of its possession

Example:

The soldiers raped the beautiful country

Synonyms:

despoil; plunder; rape; spoil; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "despoil" is one way to...):

destroy; ruin (destroy completely; damage irreparably)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

despoilment; despoliation (the act of stripping and taking by force)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Steal goods; take as spoils

Example:

During the earthquake people looted the stores that were deserted by their owners

Synonyms:

despoil; foray; loot; pillage; plunder; ransack; reave; rifle; strip

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "despoil" is one way to...):

take (take by force)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "despoil"):

deplume; displume (strip of honors, possessions, or attributes)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

despoiler (someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war))

despoilment; despoliation (the act of stripping and taking by force)

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