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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of looting
ABC News,
18 June 2026
This looting of the Treasury has apparently been averted, following a rare revolt by Republican lawmakers.
—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
The absence of an effective police force meant the looting was impossible to prevent.
—
Amer Matar,
The Dial,
26 May 2026
El-Farra said police arrested one person on suspicion of looting and six others on suspicion of prowling.
—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
25 May 2026
Nguyen said that the Orange County Sheriff's Department had patrols in place for the neighborhoods that had been evacuated to protect them from potential looting.
—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Some start in the 1800s, and others start post-1970 under the UNESCO framework that has outlawed the looting of cultural heritage across the world.
—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
The looting report in Haaretz follows several other misconduct complaints against Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.
—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Spiegelman uses the term micro-looting, dressing up petty theft in political pretensions.
—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Both were offered up by the same person, Marino Massimo De Caro, later convicted of looting an Italian library.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
8 June 2026
Police stopped the violence there that night, but more racist beatings and looting erupted downtown.
—
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.
—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Israel is razing and looting homes and has vowed to prevent hundreds of thousands of residents, predominantly Shiites, though also members of other religious communities, from returning.
—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
As with Osterweil, who argued that white supremacy can render even violent looting a legitimate act, Piker and Tolentino suggest that certain crimes become not just morally justifiable but even admirable when coupled with a claim against structural injustice.
—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Richard Schmeelk died at age 97 in May 2022 — but Corona kept on looting his widow’s accounts, according to court records.
—
Kamaron McNair,dan Mangan,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
The trio stripped down and left little to the imagination in their lingerie, raided the liquor cabinet, soaked in a bubble bath, stole a Grammy and cannonballed into a pool — all while looting the house for cash and jewels.
—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Long-term restoration projects address damage caused by war, weather and looting, including the broken outline of the western side.
—
ABC News,
18 June 2026
This looting of the Treasury has apparently been averted, following a rare revolt by Republican lawmakers.
—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
The absence of an effective police force meant the looting was impossible to prevent.
—
Amer Matar,
The Dial,
26 May 2026
El-Farra said police arrested one person on suspicion of looting and six others on suspicion of prowling.
—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
25 May 2026
Nguyen said that the Orange County Sheriff's Department had patrols in place for the neighborhoods that had been evacuated to protect them from potential looting.
—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Some start in the 1800s, and others start post-1970 under the UNESCO framework that has outlawed the looting of cultural heritage across the world.
—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
The looting report in Haaretz follows several other misconduct complaints against Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.
—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Spiegelman uses the term micro-looting, dressing up petty theft in political pretensions.
—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Gordon worked with archeologists to match statues to specific sites that Toek Tik raided, mapping out looting networks.
—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Both were offered up by the same person, Marino Massimo De Caro, later convicted of looting an Italian library.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
8 June 2026
Police stopped the violence there that night, but more racist beatings and looting erupted downtown.
—
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.
—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Israel is razing and looting homes and has vowed to prevent hundreds of thousands of residents, predominantly Shiites, though also members of other religious communities, from returning.
—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
As with Osterweil, who argued that white supremacy can render even violent looting a legitimate act, Piker and Tolentino suggest that certain crimes become not just morally justifiable but even admirable when coupled with a claim against structural injustice.
—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Richard Schmeelk died at age 97 in May 2022 — but Corona kept on looting his widow’s accounts, according to court records.
—
Kamaron McNair,dan Mangan,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
The trio stripped down and left little to the imagination in their lingerie, raided the liquor cabinet, soaked in a bubble bath, stole a Grammy and cannonballed into a pool — all while looting the house for cash and jewels.
—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting
Noun
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The new headquarters opens as the department reports a 25 percent reduction in major crimes like murder, rape, robbery, and assaults over the last several years.
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Malepeai, her co-defendant Freddie Lee Davis III, and two others who avoided federal charges were identified by police as members of a robbery crew that committed violent purse snatchings around the Bay Area.
Verb
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New genetic data indicates that cats feeding off the abundant rodents plundering human food stores domesticated themselves for similar reasons around 10,000 years ago.
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But Texas Tech isn't the only program from the Lone Star State whose commit list LSU is plundering.
Noun
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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.
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In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.
Verb
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Want to stop raiding the fridge every night before bed?
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While our dreams of raiding Tay Tay’s closet will likely never come true, that won’t stop of from borrowing her style and shopping Swift’s favorite designer brands.
Noun
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No amount of macho beatdowns in the UFC cage matches on the White House lawn will make anyone forget Epstein’s depredations.
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The striped bass shark depredations have also been occurring off Chatham’s Monomoy Island — a hotspot for seals, which attract great white sharks.
Verb
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The result was so emphatic that the Tunisian soccer federation acted fast, sacking manager Sabri Lamouchi just hours after.
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Villa’s then sporting director Monchi reportedly attempting a straight swap of him for goalkeeper Emi Martinez last summer is a sacking offence (perhaps literally).
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
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The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.
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The looter’s story only came to light thanks to Bradley Gordon, an American lawyer based in Cambodia who has spent much of the last 14 years investigating the plunder of Khmer cultural heritage.
Cite this Entry
“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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