pillage
Sack a village
Pillage is the violent seizure of goods, especially during war or civil unrest—troops pillaging a conquered city, looters pillaging stores during riots.
The word works as both verb and noun: The army pillaged the village or The pillage lasted three days.
It implies systematic, often brutal taking rather than opportunistic theft.
Seized war gains
- bootyStolen valuables, especially treasure
- treasureValued wealth or keepsake
- valuablesPossessions of significant worth
- haulPull or carry laboriously
riches · gold · silver · jewels · artifacts · relics · bounty · swag
Roving plunderers
- raidersThose who plunder
- brigandsRoving armed robbers
- vikingsMedieval Nordic seafarers
- piratesMaritime thieves and raiders
corsairs · buccaneers · invaders · barbarians · looters · plunderers · highwaymen · reavers
Encirclement forcing surrender
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- invasionForcible entry into territory
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
campaign · sacking · scorched earth · vanquished · subjugation · territorial · wartime · military
Severe widespread destruction
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- desolationState of complete emptiness
annihilation · carnage · waste · rubble · ashes · burning · razing · demolition
ransack
Plunder while destroying
despoil · loot · foray · incursion · assault · invade · overrun · storm · reave · depredation
spoils
Seized war gains
- bootyStolen valuables, especially treasure
- treasureValued wealth or keepsake
- valuablesPossessions of significant worth
haul · riches · gold · silver · jewels · artifacts · relics · bounty · swag · seized goods
marauders
Roving plunderers
pirates · corsairs · buccaneers · invaders · barbarians · looters · plunderers · highwaymen · reavers · freebooters
siege
Encirclement forcing surrender
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- invasionForcible entry into territory
- occupationOne's regular paid work
battlefield · campaign · sacking · scorched earth · vanquished · subjugation · territorial · wartime · military · crusade
devastation
Severe widespread destruction
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
desolation · annihilation · carnage · waste · rubble · ashes · burning · razing · demolition · obliteration
- piracysoftware piracy, pirates, torrents, book piracy, buccaneers
- theftstealing, larceny, steal, burglary, robbery
- VikingsViking, longships, longship, raiding, Norse settlers
- conquestwar of conquest, capture, invasion, domination, subjugation
- pirate talkahoy, arr, argh, aye, aye aye
- plunderlooting, loot, booty, spoils, plundering