Thesaurus results for LOOTING

looting 1 of 2

noun

as in robbery

Related Words

Relevance

looting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of loot

as in plundering

to search through with the intent of committing robbery the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 looting

Noun

Portugal hasn’t seen the scale of violence, arson and looting witnessed in some other European countries, although protesters have complained about heavy-handed policing during the removal of tents erected in city squares. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 The French government has warned that buyers, as well as sellers, could face legal consequences for purchasing goods stolen during the recent looting. — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026 Italy sent 500 soldiers to combat looting and arson in Milan, where most of the hundreds arrested were teens. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026 Police arrested 128 people in Barcelona after fires, vandalism and looting. — Amanda MacIas, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Rioting, looting and chaos provide Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party with issues ripe for a campaign focused on immigration and public disorder. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2026 Italy deployed soldiers to Milan as the nation’s fashion and finance capital braced for fresh protests on Saturday, one week after looting and clashes with police. — Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 In Milan, soldiers were deployed and luxury boutiques were boarded up as thousands protested, following last week's looting and clashes. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2026 The closures follow last weekend’s widespread violence and looting, with further demonstrations planned in the capital on Saturday. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Verb

Many residents of Khartoum fled at the start of the war when the RSF captured the capital and began occupying and looting people’s homes. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2026 Law enforcement was heavily deployed to contain potential upheaval, but there were no new episodes of looting on Saturday, when about 10,000 protesters gathered in a peaceful demonstration in Milan. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026 Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police. — Elitsa Gadeva, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 The Paris march began peacefully, a week after widespread rioting and looting during protests across the country. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Last weekend, more than 2,700 people were arrested during protests that later turned into riots and looting sprees. — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 In the Italian cities of Rome, Milan and Naples, stores boarded up their windows after looting at earlier demonstrations but the protests against the rising cost of living and war were smaller than expected. — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 The unrest culminated in rioting and looting over the weekend, with officials estimating that the damages could be worth hundreds of millions of euros. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 The government imposed a curfew on major cities last night after nights of rioting and looting on the streets of Paris. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting

Noun

Miami-Dade court records indicate Pollard violated probation in 2002 in the robbery and burglary case that led to his two life sentences.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
The girls sometimes lived with their grandmother or an aunt, other times with their mother and Lasha’s father, who was a part of the sisters’ lives on and off until he was convicted of armed bank robbery in 2003.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of robbery

Verb

In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Nearly three decades later, Cornelius is still partying and plundering, though usually in a more relaxed fashion and with less of a Beach Boys influence.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of plundering

Noun

Homer may have viewed Odysseus’s deceit and pillaging as glorious.

— Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
Taking the Scenic Route Home After their successful sneak-attack pillaging of Troy, Odysseus’ comrade Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his men pack up and head back to Sparta.

— Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Definition of pillaging

Noun

If convicted, Hinton faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the arson charge and up to 10 years for the depredation charge, according to Hertzberg.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2026
This is among the many depredations that this supposedly mainstream Administration has committed.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of depredation

Verb

The underlying data shows the Chiefs should be sacking the quarterback at a higher rate already, albeit still not near an elite rate.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
Sayin’s injury came after Hoosiers defender Mario Landino hit his throwing shoulder while sacking him.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sacking

Noun

Article continues below Unfortunately, a passing asteroid deposits a killer alien robot in their midst, and the soldiers must fend for themselves as this marauding mech stalks them with guns and lasers blazing.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
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

Definition of marauding

Noun

Their rackets—plunder, opium trafficking, and much else—were often run not by members of established yakuza gangs but by fixers and political operators who exploited their connections with the Imperial Japanese Army.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The law came in response to the historic genocide against Indigenous peoples, the forcible removal from their ancestral lands and widespread plunder of Indian grave sites by European settlers, the American government and zealous archaeologists.

— Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of plunder

Browse Nearby Words

looters

looting

loots

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of looting

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

reticent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes