1. spoils of war - Noun
2. Spoils of war - Proper noun
A 16th-century etching, De plundering van Mechelen door de hertog van Alba (The Plundering of Mechelen by the Duke of Alba), by Frans Hogenberg, from the collection of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It depicts the sacking and looting of Mechelen (now in the province of Antwerp, Belgium) by the Spanish troops led by the Duke of Alba on 2 October 1572 during the Eighty Years' War.
spoils of war pl (plural only)
Any profits extracted as the result of winning a war or other military activity.
Spoils of War
The eighth sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
Historically, art has always had a market. When one medieval fiefdom defeated another they would drag back its jewels, gold, tapestries and art objects as the spoils of war. Art equaled power, riches and culture. Arne Glimcher
Jupiter, what spoils of war will our gift make yours! Statius