A plunderer is someone who steals valuable things, especially during war, chaos, or when they have power over others. The word carries a sense of aggressive, large-scale theft: plunderers don't just take one item, they take everything they can carry.

Throughout history, conquering armies often plundered defeated cities, carting away gold, art, food, and anything else of value. Vikings were famous plunderers who raided coastal towns across Europe. Spanish conquistadors plundered the treasures of the Aztec and Incan empires. Pirates plundered merchant ships on the high seas.

Today we still use plunder as both a verb (to plunder) and a noun (the plunder itself, meaning stolen loot).

You might encounter the word in history books or adventure stories, but it's also used metaphorically. Someone might accuse a corrupt official of plundering public funds, or say that an irresponsible company plundered natural resources without thinking of the future. In these cases, plunder suggests taking greedily and destructively, leaving others worse off.