depredate
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To plunder or lay waste to: "depredate" means to violently steal or destroy property, especially during war or conflict. It implies aggressive and destructive seizure.
- To prey upon: Used in a broader sense, it can mean to exploit or harm someone or something for personal gain.
Usage Examples
- Transitive verb:
- The invading army depredated the villages, leaving nothing behind. (They violently plundered and destroyed the settlements.)
- Corrupt officials depredated the national treasury. (They stole and wasted public funds through exploitation.)
Advanced Usage
"to depredate upon": to prey upon or exploit repeatedly.
- The pirates depredated upon merchant ships in the region. (They regularly attacked and robbed those vessels.)
"to depredate the land": to destroy or exhaust natural resources.
- Overgrazing by livestock has depredated the fertile plains. (The land has been ruined by excessive grazing.)
Variants and Related Words
Depredation (noun): the act of plundering or laying waste; a destructive attack.
- The depredations of the storm left the coastline in ruins. (The destructive effects of the storm were severe.)
Depredator (noun): a person or thing that depredates; a plunderer.
- The locusts were depredators of the crops. (They were destructive pests that consumed the harvest.)
Synonyms
- Plunder: to steal goods violently, especially during war.
- Ravage: to cause severe and extensive damage.
- Despoil: to strip of possessions or value by force.
- Ransack: to search thoroughly and steal or destroy.
Related Idioms
- "To make a prey of": to treat someone or something as a victim to be exploited.
- The unscrupulous lender made a prey of the desperate borrowers. (He depredated their financial resources.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Depredate on: (less common) to plunder or prey upon.
- The wolves depredated on the livestock. (They attacked and killed the animals for food.)