Word familynoundepredationdepredatorverbdepredateadjectivedepredatory
dep·re·da·tion /ˌdeprəˈdeɪʃən/ noun [countableC usually plural] formal
BAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONSan act of taking or destroying something 掠夺;蹂躏,破坏
Examples from the Corpus
depredation• He will not change and if permitted will repeat the same challenges and depredations in his neighborhood.• Hayes, however, took no action to end depredations against blacks who wanted to vote.• So, despite the great depredations of the slavetrade, there was demographicgrowth.• They loot and imposedepredations on the countries where they operate.• Obviously no species could withstand such depredations for long, although the presentlosses of habitat may be considered even more serious.• Settled land in Roman law was to a considerabledegree free from the depredations of creditors.• The deeper problems in the art market have to do with the depredations of the auction houses.• the depredations of war• The deer had become very numerous by this time in the New Forest, and there were numerous complaints about their depredations.
Origindepredation
(1400-1500)Frenchdéprédation, from Latindepraedari“to steal and destroy”