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
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
But revelations in recent months that politicians, officials and contractors had looted billions of dollars from the nationwide program supposed to mitigate their effects have roiled the country.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
In 1897, during colonial rule in southern Nigeria, British forces looted these treasures and destroyed the royal palace, dispersing the artefacts across museums in Europe and America.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
At the time, the Valley of the Kings — which had been looted during the reign of pharaohs including Ramses — was abandoned and the royal necropolis was moved to Tanis, Payraudeau said.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
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
But revelations in recent months that politicians, officials and contractors had looted billions of dollars from the nationwide program supposed to mitigate their effects have roiled the country.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
In 1897, during colonial rule in southern Nigeria, British forces looted these treasures and destroyed the royal palace, dispersing the artefacts across museums in Europe and America.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
At the time, the Valley of the Kings — which had been looted during the reign of pharaohs including Ramses — was abandoned and the royal necropolis was moved to Tanis, Payraudeau said.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looted
Verb
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Last fall, copper thieves plundered about a dozen public streetlights over three city blocks, leaving their neighborhood in the dark.—
Gavin J. Quinton,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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The last round of expansion, adding Seattle and Vancouver, came at significant cost to the league’s six original franchises, which had their rosters plundered in the expansion draft.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Many prehistoric structures were pillaged for rock, but a remarkable number are intact.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Dak got sacked and lost seven yards.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Herbert was sacked a career-high 54 times while playing behind an offensive line that was without top tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater because of season-ending injuries.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said that in December 2024, Mexican authorities raided multiple fentanyl production labs across Sinaloa that were allegedly controlled by the father and son and made the world’s largest ever fentanyl seizure, which totaled more than 3,300 pounds of the ultra-potent drug.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Getting their roster raided by Power 4 conference programs, including the one where their former coach is now running the show.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 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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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
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Tillis said the plaque may be displayed in the Senate's third-floor public gallery, one area that was ransacked by rioters.—
Scott MacFarlane,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Looted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looted. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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