as in plundered
to search through with the intent of committing robbery
the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night
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Recent Examples of looted
The item belongs to a rare collection of French crown jewels still held by the nation, after most were looted during the French Revolution beginning in 1789.
—
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Law enforcement officers were injured, autonomous vehicles were set on fire and stores were looted.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
The facility was vandalized, looted and partially burned.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Buildings burned to the ground; businesses were looted.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
For months, mausoleums in the graveyard, some more than a hundred years old, were being looted in the dead of night, police said.
—Gaya Gupta, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ two-year occupation of Khartoum has also seen 4,000 items looted from the Sudan National Museum, including mummies dating from 2,500 BC.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
But until then, there seems to be no space in our common national wealth for anything other than bombs, precarious tech ventures, and looted oil.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before.
—ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Law enforcement officers were injured, autonomous vehicles were set on fire and stores were looted.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
The facility was vandalized, looted and partially burned.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Buildings burned to the ground; businesses were looted.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
For months, mausoleums in the graveyard, some more than a hundred years old, were being looted in the dead of night, police said.
—Gaya Gupta, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ two-year occupation of Khartoum has also seen 4,000 items looted from the Sudan National Museum, including mummies dating from 2,500 BC.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
But until then, there seems to be no space in our common national wealth for anything other than bombs, precarious tech ventures, and looted oil.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before.
—ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looted
Verb
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Monster bamboo, bougainvillea, and banana plants crashed in from the roadside; a tin roof sagged under the weight of a gaggle of marabou storks; baboons plundered trash cans at a highway intersection.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
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The Scandinavian Vikings were a seafaring people who plundered both north and west Europe for centuries — a pretty tough group.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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North Texas — whose roster was pillaged in the portal and saw its top players leave for Oklahoma State alongside former head coach Eric Morris — have signed 42 transfers.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Jan. 2026
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In a landscape of sequels and overly pillaged IP, the Stranger Things finale is finite and close-ended, the credits rolling once and for all.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s manager at the start of that season, was sacked on November 19, with the team 14th in the league — although the fateful conversation with then-chairman Daniel Levy was conducted off-camera.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Maye was sacked 21 times in the playoffs — the most ever for a QB in a single postseason.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The newspaper printed its last edition in June 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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As recently as December, police raided a gay-friendly venue in the nation’s capital, Baku, and detained more than 100 people.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the 21st century, oil extraction has become a serious threat to Ecuadoran Amazonia, with large swaths of forest, often located in Indigenous territories, despoiled by the release of wastewater from the wells.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Authorities say she was forced to remain outside while the suspects ransacked the residence and a Mercedes Sprinter van parked on the property before fleeing the scene.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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In 2011, after guests ransacked an Airbnb host’s home, the story exploded in the press and #RIPAirbnb began trending on social media.—
Christopher DiLella,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Looted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looted. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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