as in robbery
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as in plundering
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 looting
Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Some of the demonstrations descended into shootings, looting and vandalism.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Everyone wanted to return home soon, to take refuge, amid fears of possible looting that failed to materialize.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
For instance, before the signing of the ceasefire agreement, there was lots of looting of humanitarian aid, and these looters were backed up.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026
And though officials have warned the looting of the flood prevention program may have started under Marcos’ predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, the disparity between the lifestyles of the elite and regular Filipinos has been a source of anger under the current president.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
According to food-security experts, extreme malnutrition in Gaza, already high, skyrocketed after GHF took over; according to Netanyahu, the foundation failed to prevent looting by Hamas.
—Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
The falls could become a place of learning, not of looting, as park manager Troy McCormick put it in 1994.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
The State Department raised this popular African country’s advisory level amid protests, looting, and political instability.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dozens of people, mostly in Minnesota’s substantial Somali population, have been charged with looting the program by setting up companies that billed the state for supplying food that was never delivered.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
That is looting, plain and simple, and clearly unlawful.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
Advisers for the company have sued James, accusing him of looting his company.
—Jonathan Randles, Bloomberg, 31 Dec. 2025
Despite the site being vulnerable to antiquities looting in the past, the artifacts miraculously survived 1,400 years.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Another possibility is that his remains were moved later due to looting.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
An Ohio Dollar General boarded up its windows over fears of potential Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) looting next month.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
On the eve of the war, Jaujard, with the help of staff and volunteers, secretly arranged for the Mona Lisa and thousands of other masterpieces to be evacuated to the French countryside to protect them from looting.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
And, as bad as all that looting was, the wealth that remained in Congo constituted only a small percentage of what was being made on markets globally, and from the technology those minerals powered.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Some of the demonstrations descended into shootings, looting and vandalism.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Everyone wanted to return home soon, to take refuge, amid fears of possible looting that failed to materialize.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
For instance, before the signing of the ceasefire agreement, there was lots of looting of humanitarian aid, and these looters were backed up.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026
And though officials have warned the looting of the flood prevention program may have started under Marcos’ predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, the disparity between the lifestyles of the elite and regular Filipinos has been a source of anger under the current president.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
According to food-security experts, extreme malnutrition in Gaza, already high, skyrocketed after GHF took over; according to Netanyahu, the foundation failed to prevent looting by Hamas.
—Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
The falls could become a place of learning, not of looting, as park manager Troy McCormick put it in 1994.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
The State Department raised this popular African country’s advisory level amid protests, looting, and political instability.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Dozens of people, mostly in Minnesota’s substantial Somali population, have been charged with looting the program by setting up companies that billed the state for supplying food that was never delivered.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dozens of people, mostly in Minnesota’s substantial Somali population, have been charged with looting the program by setting up companies that billed the state for supplying food that was never delivered.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
That is looting, plain and simple, and clearly unlawful.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
Advisers for the company have sued James, accusing him of looting his company.
—Jonathan Randles, Bloomberg, 31 Dec. 2025
Despite the site being vulnerable to antiquities looting in the past, the artifacts miraculously survived 1,400 years.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Another possibility is that his remains were moved later due to looting.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
An Ohio Dollar General boarded up its windows over fears of potential Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) looting next month.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
On the eve of the war, Jaujard, with the help of staff and volunteers, secretly arranged for the Mona Lisa and thousands of other masterpieces to be evacuated to the French countryside to protect them from looting.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting
Noun
-
Lumet’s 1975 film and this Broadway adaptation are based on a real Brooklyn bank robbery and hostage incident from 1972.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Data shows disproportionate arrests for robbery and carjacking, with juveniles making up over half of those arrested for these crimes in 2024, alongside rising truancy.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bainbridge wasn’t shy about plundering her personal life for material.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Trump is not keeping that a secret but is being quite open about plundering it all.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Amid the pillaging of homes, Roman magistrates were likely sent to the city to prevent an anarchic type of existence, based on ancient literary sources the authors referenced in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Security agents have been going door to door, raiding homes to confiscate satellite dishes and arresting anyone who is using the service.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Investigators moved in stages, first raiding his business, then executing a search warrant at his Miami Lakes home.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, of Barnegat, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, Habba announced Tuesday.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
19 Nov. 2025
-
Federal wildlife agents confirmed the two depredation events, which took place Friday and Saturday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Pursuit of Purdy The Seahawks’ front seven made life difficult for Purdy, chasing him across the field while sacking him twice.—
Andrew Destin,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Jan. 2026
-
The Texans stifled the Steelers rushing attack and harassed Aaron Rodgers so extensively — sacking him four times, hitting him 12 times — that the future Hall of Fame quarterback scarcely had time to wait for plays to develop and repeatedly dumped the ball off for short gains.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rutter, the club’s record £40m buy from Leeds United, was an instant hit last season with insatiable work rate and marauding runs until an ankle injury ruled him out from March for the rest of the campaign.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After more than a century of plunder and strife, under tyrants as diverse as King Leopold II of Belgium and Mobutu Sese Seko, the present-day DRC still occupies the dark heart of the continent in much of the world’s imagination.—
Holden Frith,
TheWeek,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The Venezuelan regime is broadly unpopular in Latin America; its socialism of plunder has sent millions of desperate people into Colombia and other states.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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