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loot

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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
Players can find rare loot, hoard armor plates and complete mission with friends among other things in this new mode. Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 28 Oct. 2025 Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were also part of the loot. Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Criminality has shot up across the territory during the war; some of it is attributable to Israeli military support for clan gangs that have systematically looted aid convoys. Jeremy Konyndyk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2025 Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down. Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for loot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loot
Noun
  • As an alliance grew between senators and financial powers, public figures began profiting from real-estate speculation, slave trading, and overseas plunder—while masking their involvement.
    Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Reparations, long proposed as the only measure proportionate to the scale of racial plunder, look increasingly like a political, economic, and legal non-starter.
    Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed due to the cuts, you’re legally entitled to a cash refund, not just some future credit.
    The Kim Komando Show, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The Portugal-Japan collaboration from Moon Road Media & Films received a cash prize of $30,000 from the two sponsors of the award — TCCF organizer Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) and France’s Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC).
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • On the field, his seven tackles, sack and pass breakup helped tilt the game in the Chargers’ favour; off the field, his tribute to his brother showed the depth of his character.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In the box score, Brissett was 21-of-31 for 261 yards with two touchdown passes despite getting sacked five times by the Cowboys.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Brendan Fraser played the dashing hero Rick O’Connell, a treasure hunter and former Captain of the French Foreign Legion.
    Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
  • In the film, little Rory needs to save her father who’s disappeared on a treasure quest during an unfortunate encounter with a dragon.
    Marta Balaga, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • With Alonso on the market, the Red Sox could be more eager to add a power-hitting first baseman than to re-sign Bregman for more money.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Dozens of legislators, senators and construction companies have been accused of receiving kickbacks with money that was supposed to go toward establishing thousands of flood control projects.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Towns were besieged, landscapes scorched, villages pillaged.
    Penelope Geng, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2025
  • If peaceable trading isn't your dream, consider the corsair life, pillaging other ships for their precious cargo.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • By day there are parades, rat control events, and grand juries to attend, but night is when the mayor comes alive, at crypto coin launch events, sweaty outer borough raves sponsored by a new credit card, and downtime at his pad in Fort Lee.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The three faced off in two contentious debates in October, in which Mamdani and Cuomo sparred over issues of integrity and experience while Sliwa sought to paint them as two sides of the same ideological coin.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Just last week, Chicago and national media falsely accused law enforcement of raiding a daycare center.
    Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Dance parties like the one in Iranshahr are still sometimes raided by the police.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loot. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.

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