Definition

1. Noun:

   • The act of stealing valuable things from a place, especially during war or conflict: "Pillage" refers to the violent and systematic theft of goods, often accompanied by destruction, typically by an invading army or conquering force.
   • Goods or money obtained illegally through such acts: "Pillage" can also refer to the stolen property itself, the loot or spoils taken.

2. Verb:

   • To steal goods from a place, especially during a war or riot, using force: The verb "to pillage" means to plunder, loot, or sack a place, taking valuable items by force.

Usage Examples

• Noun: The ancient city was left in ruins after the pillage by the invading army. The museum's collection was lost to centuries of war and pillage.

• Verb: The barbarian tribes would often pillage villages along the coast. Historical accounts describe how the conquistadors pillaged the temples for gold.

Advanced Usage

• "To lay waste and pillage": A formal or literary phrase emphasizing total destruction and theft.

Variants and Related Words

• Pillager (noun): A person who pillages; a plunderer.
• Pillaging (noun/gerund): The act or process of pillaging.

Synonyms

• Plunder (verb/noun): To rob of goods by force, especially in wartime.
• Loot (verb/noun): To steal goods, typically during a riot or military action.
• Sack (verb): To plunder and destroy a captured town or building.
• Despoil (verb): To strip of possessions by force; to rob.

Related Phrases

• "To go on a pillage": To engage in a spree of looting and destruction.

Noun

1. the act of stealing valuable things from a place
   • the plundering of the Parthenon
   • his plundering of the great authors
2. goods or money obtained illegally

Verb

1. steal goods; take as spoils
   • During the earthquake people looted the stores that were deserted by their owners