Definition of lootnext

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
If the measure passes, expect a highly spirited game of hide-the-loot. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
Independent fashion brand Make My Lemonade was among those looted last weekend. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 More than 3,000 businesses were looted or damaged over the weekend, according to Commerce Minister Serge Papin, including shops in Paris’s Les Halles district. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for loot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loot
Noun
  • California’s new Yankee masters were men of industry, which also sometimes looked like reckless plunder.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Their rackets—plunder, opium trafficking, and much else—were often run not by members of established yakuza gangs but by fixers and political operators who exploited their connections with the Imperial Japanese Army.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Freed of a cash crunch, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority’s 2027 preliminary budget shows a significant boost in spending as the super agency powers up to deliver more bus and rail service for riders.
    — Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Advisors typically recommend keeping at least three to six months of living expenses in cash for emergency savings.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Their chance to win the game on the snap from the 6 never had a chance as Mahomes was sacked.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The next possession ended in a three-and-out as Osborne was sacked for a loss of nine on 3rd-and-1.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Cadogan comes from a family that knows dirt can be full of treasure.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Harrison added that among the treasures in the collection are personal photos that haven’t left the band’s archive in more than 40 years, as well as album sketches and other rare keepsakes.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The proposition would allow local governments to create economic development districts with the ability to issue bonds, make loans, and award grants of public money.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Spring Grove Cemetery, a historic cemetery in Hartford’s North End that fell into disrepair, is about to get a major boost with $225,000 in state grant money expected after the city agreed to accept the funds this week.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Shopkeepers who’ve found their livelihoods suddenly at stake wonder where the police were while groups looted and pillaged with impunity.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • For instance, the outcome of a coin toss seems random at first.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As a character Chigurh is particularly illustrative of this worldview, often reducing the fate of other characters to a coin toss.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Agents raided his Ogden home, seizing six live pipe bombs, bomb-making gear, and two rifles.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • In January, the FBI raided the Fulton County election office in Georgia and seized election materials in connection with the 2020 election.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 28 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loot. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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