plundring

Plundring is the act of looting valuables by force, typically carried out by soldiers, occupying forces, raiders, or mobs during war, occupation, or civil unrest. It involves taking goods from homes, shops, or public property without permission, often accompanied by damage or violence. Plundring is generally regarded as unlawful and is distinguished from legal requisition or trade.

The term is used in Swedish as plundring and in Danish and Norwegian as plundring or plyndring; it is cognate with the English plunder and the German Plünderung. The word derives from a sense of seizing goods by force, with roots in Germanic languages.

Under international humanitarian law, pillage and looting are prohibited during armed conflict. The Fourth Geneva Convention and customary law condemn the looting of civilian property by occupying forces, and individuals who commit plundering may be liable for war crimes or domestic penalties. Historically, plundring has occurred in sieges, occupations, and periods of civil disorder, and remains a term used in contemporary journalism to describe opportunistic theft during instability.

See also plunder, looting, pillage, war crime.