1. pillager A robber seeks to obtain the property of others by force or intimidation; a thief by stealth and secrecy. In early English thief was freely used in both senses, as in Shakespeare and the Author Synonyms: robber, bandit, depredator, freebooter, pirate, brigand, despoiler, highwayman, plunderer, buccaneer, footpad, marauder, raider, burglar, forager, pillager, thief