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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as in robbery
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Recent Examples of looting
Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
The antifa movement was often blamed by police for the violence and looting that occurred in the aftermath of the murder.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Sewer workers discovered a 2,300-year-old tomb containing ceramic artifacts and showing signs of ancient looting.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There was no rioting, no looting, no cars set on fire.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Local media reported isolated looting in Jakarta and damage to several transportation facilities in Jakarta on Friday, as well as demonstrations in the major cities of Bandung and Yogyakarta.
—CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
In June, a large-scale immigration operation targeting Los Angeles sparked protests, and there was violence and looting that later prompted Mayor Karen Bass to impose a curfew downtown.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
As media coverage focused on looting and disorder, some confrontations between White and Black residents grew violent.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
And while many waited to be saved, the television cameras focused on the alleged looting and purported criminality of those simply trying to survive.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Days after a criminal gang stormed this rural village in Haiti’s northwest, setting fire to the local police substation and looting homes, residents remain gripped by fear amid concerns that the violence isn’t over.
—Ychmuth Corneille, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Mobs retaliated by torching buildings, looting banks and shops, and attacking politicians in their homes.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Protests intensified over the weekend, with rioters targeting the homes of lawmakers, ransacking and looting properties, and burning government buildings, according to media reports.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Apex Legends, for instance, added Wildcard Mode, which drops looting to focus on faster combat.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Six were killed, dozens injured, and fires and looting caused damage.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
In the wake of the disaster, desperation led to looting and violent crimes, especially in the Superdome, the city’s multipurpose stadium and makeshift shelter.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2025
The Nazi Party began looting art in the early 1930s from Jewish dealers who were forced to sell their valuables before fleeing to safety, and an official confiscation group called the Einsatzstab Reichsleiters Rosenberg (ERR) was created in 1940.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
Character progression is primarily handled through a persistent skill tree, crafting, and looting.
—Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
The antifa movement was often blamed by police for the violence and looting that occurred in the aftermath of the murder.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Sewer workers discovered a 2,300-year-old tomb containing ceramic artifacts and showing signs of ancient looting.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There was no rioting, no looting, no cars set on fire.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Local media reported isolated looting in Jakarta and damage to several transportation facilities in Jakarta on Friday, as well as demonstrations in the major cities of Bandung and Yogyakarta.
—CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
In June, a large-scale immigration operation targeting Los Angeles sparked protests, and there was violence and looting that later prompted Mayor Karen Bass to impose a curfew downtown.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
As media coverage focused on looting and disorder, some confrontations between White and Black residents grew violent.
—Avalon Hester, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
And while many waited to be saved, the television cameras focused on the alleged looting and purported criminality of those simply trying to survive.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the casualties include protesters and bystanders killed by members of the security forces, but also others killed in subsequent widespread violence and looting by individuals and gangs not associated with the protesters.
—CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Days after a criminal gang stormed this rural village in Haiti’s northwest, setting fire to the local police substation and looting homes, residents remain gripped by fear amid concerns that the violence isn’t over.
—Ychmuth Corneille, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Mobs retaliated by torching buildings, looting banks and shops, and attacking politicians in their homes.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Protests intensified over the weekend, with rioters targeting the homes of lawmakers, ransacking and looting properties, and burning government buildings, according to media reports.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Apex Legends, for instance, added Wildcard Mode, which drops looting to focus on faster combat.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Six were killed, dozens injured, and fires and looting caused damage.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
In the wake of the disaster, desperation led to looting and violent crimes, especially in the Superdome, the city’s multipurpose stadium and makeshift shelter.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2025
The Nazi Party began looting art in the early 1930s from Jewish dealers who were forced to sell their valuables before fleeing to safety, and an official confiscation group called the Einsatzstab Reichsleiters Rosenberg (ERR) was created in 1940.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting
Verb
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While plundering a dungeon lair and stealing artifacts from a museum both have heist elements to them, Skullduggery looks into the other intrigues of adventures in urban environments.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The store released a black-and-white video showing the thieves, which appears to be at least four suspects, plundering the business.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Thompson was arrested as a high school senior in 1955 and charged as an accessory to a robbery in Cherokee Park.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In what is otherwise a slog of a show, Black Rabbit gets structurally creative in the sixth episode when the events of a robbery at the restaurant are shown from different perspectives.—
Andrew Bernard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
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
-
While many consider the mammal a nuisance for raiding garbage cans and damaging property, raccoons can also carry diseases, and they probably shouldn't be kept as housepets.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Taco Bell is raiding its vault and bringing fans along for the re-exploration.—
Sonal Dutt,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Despite years of sitting on the sidelines, the United States has an opportunity to reassert itself in seeking to end the depredations of the junta and advance the cause of democracy in Myanmar.—
Dan Swift,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But Williams sealed the Pats’ only win of the season thus far, sacking Tua Tagovailoa on the Dolphins’ final offensive snap with less than two minutes left in Week 2.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The Giants largely held Jayden Daniels in check, particularly after halftime, while sacking him 3 times.—
Howard Megdal,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
First, the marauding, overlapping wing-backs drag markers away with decoy runs, opening up lanes for the attacking midfielders to exploit.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As an alliance grew between senators and financial powers, public figures began profiting from real-estate speculation, slave trading, and overseas plunder—while masking their involvement.—
Zephyr Teachout,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Reparations, long proposed as the only measure proportionate to the scale of racial plunder, look increasingly like a political, economic, and legal non-starter.—
Idrees Kahloon,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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