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

But her right-wing government has since introduced tougher penalties for rioters, including financial liability for parents whose children take part in vandalism and looting. — Richard Engel, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026 Telegram closed a Barcelona group promoting Halloween looting, but a replacement drew more than 2,000 members, Spanish media reported. — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 That also shows there was less looting and damage than some have suggested. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026 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

Verb

Widespread unrest watch now Since late September, France has seen violent protests across the country, with demonstrations dissolving into riots and looting in late October. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026 Germany faced its own challenges after nationwide protests Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some cities. — Angela Charlton, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting

Noun

Police in South Africa have arrested five suspects in connection with a violent farm robbery in the North West province in which a 50-year-old farmer was shot and had his ears cut off.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Deputies will continue to respond to all Priority 1 calls, including reports of homicides, assaults, hostage situations, hit-and-run collisions, robberies, shots fired and plane crashes.

— Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 30 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

California’s new Yankee masters were men of industry, which also sometimes looked like reckless plunder.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
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

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 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of looting

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quondam

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

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes