Thesaurus results for LOOTING

looting 1 of 2

noun

as in robbery

Related Words

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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

Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting that have drawn worldwide attention and shocked many French citizens. — Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Likewise, the student protests over the weekend expanded from education to other grievances — and featured dramatic scenes of looting and clashes with police. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Crowds have protested for weeks in major cities, with some demonstrations marked by arrests, looting, injuries and violence across France, Italy and Albania. — Teresa Medrano, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Businesses hit There is also public anger over claims that police lost control of the situation at the weekend as disorder and looting escalated. — Chloe Taylor,jenni Reid, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 Added to the violence of destruction and looting is the less visible but equally devastating violence of silencing. — Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 The picture of the New Orleans Saints arriving in France on Monday and rolling through the streets of Paris amid looting and fires is not an accurate portrayal of what happened. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 This week, for example, France began a national self-examination after youthful protests led to looting and destruction. — The Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026 Following the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, burning, looting and other forms of mayhem broke out in Minneapolis and many other cities across America. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Verb

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 Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting in France. — ABC News, 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 The riots and looting across France might have been supported by leftist radicals, but National Rally leader Marine Le Pen stands to be the greatest beneficiary when the dust eventually settles. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026 The curfew prohibits anyone from entering or remaining on the Place de la République, where rioting took place Saturday, and the shopping neighborhood of Les Halles, which has been subject to looting. — Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 And what is about to happen is that the NFL is sending two teams to a foreign country dealing with burning, looting, protesting, rioting, arrests and other violence, so the teams can play a football game within driving distance of the problems. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Despite hundreds of thousands of people marching peacefully, the weekend’s unrest led to 2,400 arrests and serious disturbances in parts of France, including looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. — Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 At the time, the Treasury Department accused the Maduro government of systematically looting Venezuela’s riches while relying on a network of loyal officials to maintain political control. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting

Noun

In April 2023, Towsley received a tip from an inmate at a Florida prison that another inmate might know about Heron’s murder — Hanfield, who was sentenced to prison in 2008 for a robbery in Broward County and is serving a 25-year sentence.

— Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Two felony robbery charges were dismissed as part of that plea.

— Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 17 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

This is among the many depredations that this supposedly mainstream Administration has committed.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
That compares with 21 depredations by wolves so far this year, with about $25,000 paid to ranchers whose cattle were killed by wolves.

— Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of depredation

Verb

The Miami pass rush had been building toward a breakout game and finally got it against Minnesota, sacking quarterback Kyler Murray four times and hitting him on several other occasions.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
The Dolphins got constant pressure on the former first overall pick, sacking him four times.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 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

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“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of looting

noun

verb

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