Standard Lemma guide

depredation

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌdɛpɹəˈdeɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D EH2 P R AH0 D EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A raid or predatory attack.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman had long known that his fragile supply and communication lines through Tennessee were in serious jeopardy because of depredations by Forrest's cavalry raids. (Battle of Brice's Crossroads)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: predation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plundering, pillage, pillaging

4

noun

Meaning 4

(usually plural) a destructive action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the ravages of time
  • the depredations of age and disease

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ravage

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destruction, demolition, wipeout

History

Etymology

From Middle French déprédation, from Latin depraedatio.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: autioittaminen — An act of consuming agricultural resources
  • Finnish: hävitys — An act of consuming agricultural resources
  • Russian: опустоше́ние (opustošénije) — An act of consuming agricultural resources
  • Russian: по́рча (pórča) — An act of consuming agricultural resources
  • Bulgarian: плячкосване (pljačkosvane) — A raid or predatory attack
  • Danish: plyndring — A raid or predatory attack
  • Dutch: plundering — A raid or predatory attack
  • Dutch: rooftocht — A raid or predatory attack
  • Finnish: ryöstäminen — A raid or predatory attack
  • Hindi: लूटपाट (lūṭpāṭ) — A raid or predatory attack
  • Hungarian: kifosztás — A raid or predatory attack
  • Russian: налёт (naljót) — A raid or predatory attack
  • Swedish: räd — A raid or predatory attack