Thesaurus results for LOOT

Q: How does the noun 'loot' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of loot are booty , plunder , prize , spoils , and spoil . While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe. // picked through the ruins for loot

Q: When could 'booty' be used to replace 'loot'?

While in some cases nearly identical to loot , booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates. // thieves dividing up their booty

Q: When might 'plunder' be a better fit than 'loot'?

In some situations, the words plunder and loot are roughly equivalent. However, plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling. // a bootlegger's plunder

Q: In what contexts can 'prize' take the place of 'loot'?

Although the words prize and loot have much in common, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy. // the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

Q: How do 'spoil' and 'spoils' relate to one another, in the sense of 'loot'?

Spoil , more commonly spoils , applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest. // the spoils of political victory

loot 1 of 2

noun

ˈlüt

Definition of loot

as in plunder

valuables stolen or taken by force the burglar was caught when he foolishly stopped to examine the loot from the robbery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in cash

something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment a top-ranked golfer earning plenty of loot

Synonyms & Similar Words

loot

2 of 2

verb

as in to plunder

to search through with the intent of committing robbery the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun loot differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of loot are booty, plunder, prize, spoils, and spoil. While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

When could booty be used to replace loot?

While in some cases nearly identical to loot, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When might plunder be a better fit than loot?

In some situations, the words plunder and loot are roughly equivalent. However, plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

In what contexts can prize take the place of loot?

Although the words prize and loot have much in common, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

How do spoil and spoils relate to one another, in the sense of loot?

Spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of loot

Noun

Raiders drops Turf War entirely and builds a single-player loot chase across the Spirhalite Islands, with four-player co-op that scales difficulty by headcount. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Loyalty over loot Missouri State was the first school to believe in him. — Latif Love july 10, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

Verb

Meanwhile, Greece has for decades demanded the return from Britain of the Parthenon Marbles, saying they were looted in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. — CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 At the height of the roughly two-and-a-half-hour melee that followed, as many as 1,500 people surged through Westwood Village, smashing windows, looting stores, and vandalizing cars. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for loot

Recent Examples of Synonyms for loot

Noun

To the family’s lawyer, Markus Stötzel, the case is a typical example of Nazi plunder in need of immediate restoration.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.

— Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Definition of plunder

Noun

The treasure is now on public display at the nearby LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Between the waves, locals can be seen taking lungfuls of air before diving under the surface to search for sea cucumbers or perhaps another haul of 9th-century Tang treasure like the one found in 1998.

— Claire Turrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of treasure

Noun

In each case, the contracts were built off of what would stand as less than mid-level money, with both having higher potential upside.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Instead, two coaches making almost identical money were standing on opposite sidelines Saturday night trying to revive two programs with almost identical problems.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of money

Verb

Sudan’s civil war, a conflict credibly described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has seen violence matched only by the belligerents’ rapacity in pillaging the country’s riches.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Most notable is how the Premier League’s most famous clubs increasingly pillage the internal market for reliable and proven talent, rather than taking bets on cheaper or further-flung bets from across the continent or beyond.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pillage

Noun

Pouch cell retains 78% capacity Researchers also built a small, single-layer pouch cell to demonstrate the chemistry beyond the coin cells typically used in early-stage battery research.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
The hoard includes coins from present-day Sweden, Britain and Germany, as well as dirhams originating from areas that are now part of Turkey and Iran.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of coin

Verb

Eleven current and former Ford Heights officials are facing 79 felony charges after investigators raided the Village Hall on Thursday to execute a search warrant.

— Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
In 2008 the government raided the FLDS’s Yearning for Zion compound near Eldorado, Texas.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of raid

Browse Nearby Words

loosing

loot

looted

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“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loot. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of loot

noun

verb

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