Standard Lemma guide

despoil

noun · verb · 6 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.

  • /dɪˈspɔɪl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔɪl

1

noun

Meaning 1

Plunder; spoliation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To plunder; to pillage; take spoil from.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, reflexive, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

destroy and strip of its possession

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The soldiers raped the beautiful country

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rape, spoil, violate, plunder

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destroy, ruin

6

verb

Meaning 6

steal goods; take as spoils

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: plunder, loot, reave, strip, rifle, ransack, pillage, foray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: take

Narrower terms: deplume, displume

History

Etymology

From Middle English despoylle, dispoyll, from Old French despoille, despueille, deverbal from despoillier.

From Middle English despoylen, dispoylen, from Old French despoillier ( > French dépouiller), from Latin dēspoliō, dēspoliāre.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ограбвам (ograbvam) — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Ancient Greek: ληΐζομαι (lēḯzomai) — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Ido: spoliar — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Irish: creach — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Japanese: 略奪する (ryakudatsu-suru) — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Latin: praedor — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Romanian: despuia — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Serbo-Croatian: orobiti — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Spanish: despojar — To deprive for spoil; to take spoil from; to plunder; to rob;
  • Bulgarian: грабя (grabja) — To violently strip (someone), with indirect object of their possessions etc.; to rob.
  • Bulgarian: плячкосвам (pljačkosvam) — To violently strip (someone), with indirect object of their possessions etc.; to rob.
  • Serbo-Croatian: opljačkati — To violently strip (someone), with indirect object of their possessions etc.; to rob.
  • Spanish: despojar — To violently strip (someone), with indirect object of their possessions etc.; to rob.