- plun´der|er
- plun|der «PLUHN duhr», verb, noun.–v.t.1. to rob by force; rob: »
to plunder a bank. The pirates entered the harbor and began to plunder the town.
SYNONYM(S): loot, sack.2. to take (as goods or valuables) by illegal force or as an enemy: »The law of self-preservation had now obliged the fugitive Tartars to plunder provisions (Thomas De Quincey).
–v.i.to commit a robbery or robberies, especially by force; loot.–n.2. the act of robbing by force: »In olden times soldiers often gained great wealth by plunder of a conquered city.
╂[probably ultimately < Middle Low German plundern < plunder household goods]–plun´der|er, noun.Synonym Study noun. 1 Plunder, booty, loot mean things taken by force. Plunder applies to things carried off by invading soldiers during a war or by bandits and other robbers: »Much plunder from Europe reached Germany during World War II.
Booty applies particularly to things carried off and shared later by a band of robbers: »The bandits fought over their booty.
Loot applies particularly to things carried off from bodies and buildings in a city destroyed in war or the scene of a fire, wreck, or other disaster, but is used also of anything taken by robbery or other crime: »Much loot was sold after the great earthquake.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.