1
: goods usually of considerable value taken in war : spoils
The soldiers helped themselves to any loot that they could find.
2
: something held to resemble goods of value seized in war: such as
a
: something appropriated illegally often by force or violence
the thieves' loot
b
: illicit gains by public officials
c
: money
would not … spend all that loot on her—
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes3
: the action of looting
general loot of church land—Hilaire Belloc
Hilaire Belloc
looted; looting; loots
1
a
: to plunder or sack in war
b
: to rob especially on a large scale and usually by violence or corruption
2
: to seize and carry away by force especially in war
: to engage in robbing or plundering especially in war
looter
noun
Examples of loot in a Sentence
Noun
After raiding the town, the soldiers helped themselves to any loot that they could find.
The thieves got a lot of loot in the robbery.
He made a lot of loot selling cars.
Verb
The soldiers were looting every house that they came to.
Soldiers swept through the territory, looting, burning, and killing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jade Walker, CNN Money, 19 June 2025
Most of the protests in Los Angeles have been peaceful, but some have taken the opportunity to burn or vandalize property, loot, and throw projectiles at law enforcement.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The statues, stolen from Benin City in modern-day Nigeria, were looted by British troops at the end of the 19th century and sold on to museums across Europe.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for loot
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Noun
Agents recovered some of the loot, which was worth about $100 million, while executing a search warrant on Monday.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 19 June 2025
Most of the protests in Los Angeles have been peaceful, but some have taken the opportunity to burn or vandalize property, loot, and throw projectiles at law enforcement.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
Verb
On Wednesday, aid reached Gaza’s main city for the first time since March after deliveries were plagued by looting and coordination issues between aid agencies and the Israeli military.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The statues, stolen from Benin City in modern-day Nigeria, were looted by British troops at the end of the 19th century and sold on to museums across Europe.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for loot
Cite this Entry
“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loot. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
loot
1 of 2 noun
: something stolen or taken by force
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