What does despoil mean?

Definitions for despoil
dɪˈspɔɪlde·spoil

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word despoil.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. plunder, despoil, loot, reave, strip, rifle, ransack, pillage, forayverb

    steal goods; take as spoils

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

  2. rape, spoil, despoil, violate, plunderverb

    destroy and strip of its possession

    "The soldiers raped the beautiful country"

Wiktionary

  1. despoilnoun

    Plunder; spoliation.

  2. despoilverb

    To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob; to pillage.

  3. despoilverb

    To violently strip (someone), with indirect object of their possessions etc.; to rob.

  4. despoilverb

    To strip (someone) of their clothes; to undress.

  5. Etymology: From despoiller (> French dépouiller), from despolio.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To DESPOILverb

    Etymology: despolio, Latin.

    Despoil’d of warlike arms, and knowen shield. Edmund Spenser.

    You are nobly born,
    Despoiled of your honour in your life. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

    He waits with hellish rancour imminent,
    To intercept thy way, or send thee back
    Despoil’d of innocence, of faith, of bliss. John Milton, Par. Lost.

    He, pale as death, despoil’d of his array,
    Into the queen’s apartment takes his way. Dryden.

    Ev’n now thy aid,
    Eugene, with regiments unequal prest,
    Awaits: this day of all his honours gain’d
    Despoils him, if thy succour opportune
    Defends not the sad hour. Phillips.

Wikipedia

  1. despoil

    Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. The proceeds of all these activities can be described as booty, loot, plunder, spoils, or pillage.During modern-day armed conflicts, looting is prohibited by international law, and constitutes a war crime.

ChatGPT

  1. despoil

    Despoil is a verb that refers to stealing or taking away something valuable from a person, place or thing, typically in a forceful or violent manner. It also implies damaging, ruining or destroying something, especially its natural or original state.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Despoilverb

    to strip, as of clothing; to divest or unclothe

  2. Despoilverb

    to deprive for spoil; to plunder; to rob; to pillage; to strip; to divest; -- usually followed by of

  3. Despoilnoun

    spoil

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Despoil

    de-spoil′, v.t. to spoil completely: to strip: to bereave: to rob.—ns. Despoil′er; Despoliā′tion, Despoil′ment. [O. Fr. despoiller (mod. dépouiller)—L. despoliārede, inten., and spolium, spoil.]

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for despoil »

  1. peloids

  2. spoiled

  3. diploës

  4. dipoles

  5. elopids

  6. soliped

How to pronounce despoil?

How to say despoil in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of despoil in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of despoil in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of despoil in a Sentence

  1. Francis Cardinal George, OMI:

    To despoil oneself of all wealth in Jesus’ name is a sign of faith in Divine Providence.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

despoil#100000#228192#333333

Translations for despoil

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • плячкосвам, грабя, ограбвамBulgarian

Get even more translations for despoil »

Translation

Find a translation for the despoil definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"despoil." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/despoil>.

Discuss these despoil definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for despoil? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    despoil

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    evincing the presence of a deity
    A dicotyledonous
    B tantamount
    C numinous
    D currish

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for despoil: