as in plundered
to search through with the intent of committing robbery
the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of looted
In May of this year, the Commission for the Compensation of Victims of Spoliation (CIVS), which determines if artworks were Nazi-looted, failed to reach a definitive conclusion.
—
News Desk,
Artforum,
30 June 2026
Though it had been looted by kids, most of the material was eventually recovered.
—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
30 June 2026
The Benin Bronzes refer to the approximately 5,000 bronze sculptures, ceremonial objects, and ivory carvings looted by British forces from the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, during the 1897 punitive expedition.
—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
29 June 2026
Nearly all of Cambodia's 4,000 temples have been looted.
—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Some have been looted, burned, and abandoned, while others face critical shortages of supplies, medicines, or staff.
—
Tirana Hassan,
Time,
26 June 2026
The sandstone artifact, which depicts the Hindu epic character Duryodhana, had in fact been looted from Koh Ker in or around 1972, after the all-important UNESCO convention.
—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Rioters again attacked police with rocks, bottles and other objects, and looted and burned local buildings.
—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
The mob burned and looted Shepherd’s home while attacking surrounding homes and businesses.
—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
News Desk,
Artforum,
30 June 2026
Though it had been looted by kids, most of the material was eventually recovered.
—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
30 June 2026
The Benin Bronzes refer to the approximately 5,000 bronze sculptures, ceremonial objects, and ivory carvings looted by British forces from the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, during the 1897 punitive expedition.
—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
29 June 2026
Nearly all of Cambodia's 4,000 temples have been looted.
—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Some have been looted, burned, and abandoned, while others face critical shortages of supplies, medicines, or staff.
—
Tirana Hassan,
Time,
26 June 2026
The sandstone artifact, which depicts the Hindu epic character Duryodhana, had in fact been looted from Koh Ker in or around 1972, after the all-important UNESCO convention.
—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Rioters again attacked police with rocks, bottles and other objects, and looted and burned local buildings.
—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
The mob burned and looted Shepherd’s home while attacking surrounding homes and businesses.
—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looted
Verb
-
The Stuttgart striker plundered two second-half goals, including a stoppage-time winner, to earn his side a place in the last 32.
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Which were left to be plundered and destroyed?
Verb
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One by one, from Rhode Island to Georgia, rioters in each colony pillaged collectors’ wine cellars, drank all their liquor and forced them to publicly resign.
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For decades, tomb raiders have pillaged sites across the country, selling them on the black market.
Verb
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That came in the spring of 2025, about 11 months after his dad had been sacked as coach, when Pochettino, the new manager, gave the younger Berhalter his first national team call-up.
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Alfaro had just been sacked by San Lorenzo, his eighth job in 14 years since starting as a 30-year-old following a brief playing career in Argentina.
Verb
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Kerr’s home in Florida was raided by the FBI on the same day.
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Emilee Hackney is an eighth-generation Appalachian who grew up in the coalfields of southwest Virginia in a family so impoverished her parents occasionally raided her and her brother’s piggy banks to pay the mortgage and buy groceries.
Verb
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One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.
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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.
Verb
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His New York estate was ransacked soon after, but his convictions were clear.
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After the Battle of the Alamo, the Mexican army ransacked the site and salvaged all the leftover artillery for future military use, ridding the battleground of most of its weaponry.
Cite this Entry
“Looted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looted. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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