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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
Our heroes make a clean-ish getaway, but the hot new member of the crew has an agenda of her own, and manages to waste everyone but Parker in her bid to steal the loot for herself. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025 An investor may need to adjust future cash flows if the studio relies on loot boxes in regions where probability disclosures are trending toward mandatory. Dmitrii Khasanov, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
According to a report by the Human Rights Defense Network, at least 148 people were killed, many burned alive; 62 houses were torched, and another 26 houses were looted. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025 Hamas reportedly executed a leader of the powerful Doghmush clan in March 2024, on grounds of cooperating with Israeli authorities, looting aid convoys and reselling the spoils on black market. Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 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
  • Rozier and Laster counted cash winnings at Rozier's home in Charlotte roughly a week later, the indictment says.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Non-itemizers will be able to claim a deduction for cash donations of up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for couples filing jointly.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Commanders defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton came through the Chiefs’ offensive line to sack Mahomes.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
  • There are rare instances, like the sack All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett recorded on him two weeks ago, when Paul tried to pass Garrett off to rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea, and Garrett slipped his block, going underneath both to sack Tua Tagovailoa.
    Omar Kelly October 29, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The treasure was found in the ancient city of Hippos near the Sea of Galilee in July.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Having analyzed the treasure, the study authors now postulate that the diversity that would come to define the Scythian animal style might reflect different social groups utilizing and adapting the theme for funerary rituals.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Alamosa County Sheriff's Office announced the news and said that no additional details would be provided, and Barry's lawyer would only say that the money to secure his client's bond came from his friends and supporters.
    Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Those past titles didn’t come amid this new era of unlimited transfers and name, image and likeness money, which have flattened the top of the sport.
    Chris Vannini, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • In this precarious situation, RSF forces have systematically pillaged towns and villages and laid siege to El Fasher, the last SAF stronghold in Darfur, for more than 500 days.
    Alex de Waal, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Although the brain itself has no pain receptors, Bacon was given local anesthetic to numb her scalp and skull, as doctors made holes half the size of a small coin in her skull and implanted the stimulating electrodes inside.
    Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Find the right storage cabinet for small accessories Fishing enthusiasts, coin collectors, and sewing or knitting needle experts will want to store smaller items like those in their collections in smaller storage bins.
    Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Their efforts have included agents rappelling from Black Hawk helicopters to raid an apartment building in the middle of the night and masked agents chasing people in the heart of Chicago's Mexican community.
    Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Thieves raided the Apollo Gallery on the Louvre’s upper floor last weekend, which houses the French Crown Jewels.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loot. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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