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

Where all the loot went remains a mystery half a century later. — Tom Mooney, The Providence Journal, 14 Aug. 2026 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

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 real treasures, though, are displayed inside the museum-style glass concierge desk, where artifacts from the original hotel are on loan from the Naples Historical Society.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
When it was closed down in 1539, its treasures, books and relics were seized and its lands and buildings sold off, some to local nobles and gentry, some to the town authorities of Bury.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of treasure

Noun

That was in part to force the fathers to pay child maintenance, thus saving taxpayers’ money, but also supposedly to save the souls of both parents.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
The page’s owners pled guilty to state criminal charges of conspiracy and money laundering, leading to the site’s shutdown in 2018.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 27 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

Players who find a match mark the square on their tabla with a bean or coin; the game continues until players finish predetermined objectives, such as completing a column, a row, the four corners, or the entire board.

— Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Precious metals, coins, and stones require different checks, and both their characteristics and applicable market prices inform the amount offered.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of coin

Verb

Cyrus, who becomes an administrator of veterans’ benefits, leaves his sons such large sums that Charles (Mike Faist) concludes that the old man must have raided his agency’s funds.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
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

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 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of loot

noun

verb

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