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
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
These problems also occurred in the first weeks of the previous cease-fire, which lasted from January to March of this year; once the level of aid reached an equilibrium with the population’s needs, however, the looting abated.
—Jeremy Konyndyk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2025
The discovery has sparked discussions about the ethical considerations of such finds, including concerns about potential looting.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Casualties among Gaza’s police force during the two-year conflict have contributed to a deterioration in security, with looting of aid becoming commonplace.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
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
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
Hamas reportedly executed a leader of the powerful Doghmush clan in March 2024, on grounds of cooperating with Israeli authorities, looting aid convoys and reselling the spoils on black market.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
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
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
When news spread of King’s murder, looting and rioting broke out across the city.
—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
Noun
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
These problems also occurred in the first weeks of the previous cease-fire, which lasted from January to March of this year; once the level of aid reached an equilibrium with the population’s needs, however, the looting abated.
—Jeremy Konyndyk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2025
The discovery has sparked discussions about the ethical considerations of such finds, including concerns about potential looting.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Casualties among Gaza’s police force during the two-year conflict have contributed to a deterioration in security, with looting of aid becoming commonplace.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
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
Hamas reportedly executed a leader of the powerful Doghmush clan in March 2024, on grounds of cooperating with Israeli authorities, looting aid convoys and reselling the spoils on black market.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
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
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
When news spread of King’s murder, looting and rioting broke out across the city.
—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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting
Noun
-
Elk Grove detectives spotted the nine later identified as the team behind the two robberies in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center near Cosumnes River College just inside the Sacramento city limits.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The report, completed before the spectacular robbery, covered management of the Louvre from 2018 to 2024.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Leaders in Congress agreed and sent out armadas of patriot privateers to do just that, plundering British shipping around the Atlantic rim and forcing Royal Navy warships to redeploy to convoy duty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
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
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
-
In Dreams, Franco recalls a resourceful Chastain raiding her closet at home for luxury costumes to play a wealthy socialite on set.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Good taste must be genetic, because these celebrity daughters can't stop raiding their stylish moms' closets.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 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
-
If Haaland isn’t my choice here, there should be serious consideration at The Athletic about sacking me.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The defensive line took advantage of a weak Auburn O-line, sacking Arnold five times.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
19 Oct. 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 18 Nov. 2025.
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