1. the act of stripping away possessions, value, or beauty; plundering or devastation
Usage: formal

1. present participle of despoil; stripping of possessions, value, or beauty; plundering or devastating
Usage: formal

Examples

• The army was despoiling the countryside as it advanced.
• Environmental activists protested the despoiling of the national forest.
• The hurricane was despoiling everything in its path.
• The despoiling of ancient artifacts by looters angered archaeologists.
• Mining companies were accused of despoiling the landscape.
• The despoiling of the library’s rare book collection was a cultural tragedy.