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
ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Saleh Abu Alamah A statue of the Nubian god Apademak stands alone in the courtyard of Sudan’s National Museum, one of the few survivors of systematic looting amid a conflict that has developed into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
There is no widespread panic or looting.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
There is no widespread panic or looting.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Books permit these corporations—many of them whose foundations are tied to European colonialism and the history of expropriation and looting—to be authors in the telling of history and culture.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
There were fights and looting, and by the afternoon, a fire was set at a shop on West Madison Street, according to the documentary notes.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Some of the demonstrations descended into shootings, looting and vandalism.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Everyone wanted to return home soon, to take refuge, amid fears of possible looting that failed to materialize.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
In the Darfur region, three museums suffered complete destruction and looting during the first months of the conflict.
—Eissa Dafallah, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
These billionaires earned their wealth by producing massive value for users, not by looting.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
In August 2024, students stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents, forcing her to flee into neighboring India and exile.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Rubio accused the Maduro government of looting Venezuela’s energy sector and diverting oil revenues to support Havana while ordinary Venezuelans faced fuel shortages, hunger and economic collapse despite the country’s vast oil reserves.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Dozens of people, mostly in Minnesota’s substantial Somali population, have been charged with looting the program by setting up companies that billed the state for supplying food that was never delivered.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
That is looting, plain and simple, and clearly unlawful.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
Advisers for the company have sued James, accusing him of looting his company.
—Jonathan Randles, Bloomberg, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Saleh Abu Alamah A statue of the Nubian god Apademak stands alone in the courtyard of Sudan’s National Museum, one of the few survivors of systematic looting amid a conflict that has developed into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
There is no widespread panic or looting.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
There is no widespread panic or looting.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Books permit these corporations—many of them whose foundations are tied to European colonialism and the history of expropriation and looting—to be authors in the telling of history and culture.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
There were fights and looting, and by the afternoon, a fire was set at a shop on West Madison Street, according to the documentary notes.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Some of the demonstrations descended into shootings, looting and vandalism.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Everyone wanted to return home soon, to take refuge, amid fears of possible looting that failed to materialize.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
Verb
Kathy Ireland, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model who later made the cover of Forbes as a branding mogul, has accused her former business managers of looting millions of dollars from her and leaving her deeply in debt.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
In the Darfur region, three museums suffered complete destruction and looting during the first months of the conflict.
—Eissa Dafallah, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
These billionaires earned their wealth by producing massive value for users, not by looting.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
In August 2024, students stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents, forcing her to flee into neighboring India and exile.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Rubio accused the Maduro government of looting Venezuela’s energy sector and diverting oil revenues to support Havana while ordinary Venezuelans faced fuel shortages, hunger and economic collapse despite the country’s vast oil reserves.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Dozens of people, mostly in Minnesota’s substantial Somali population, have been charged with looting the program by setting up companies that billed the state for supplying food that was never delivered.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
That is looting, plain and simple, and clearly unlawful.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
Advisers for the company have sued James, accusing him of looting his company.
—Jonathan Randles, Bloomberg, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting
Noun
-
In a recording that surfaced weeks earlier, Kirk was seen responding to a report of a robbery and being approached by a woman outside a WinCo Foods supermarket.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Cops arrested him on robbery, menacing and endangering the welfare of a child charges for the Tuesday hold up.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So, the Board of Supervisors, through the County Executive Officer, has pirated the Treasurer’s office and is now plundering it.—
John Moorlach,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
-
If there really was a class of unaccountable, libertine global élites plundering the world, then wasn’t Trump obviously a member?—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2026
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
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Marathon isn't just about the alien planet and the thrill of raiding a colony's remains; those looking for deeper sci-fi themes (and willing to do some reading and listening) will be fed too.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
An immigration approach that focuses on apprehending dangerous criminals and steers clear of raiding businesses might help the labor market’s loss of workers.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In October 2024, 20 mountain lions were killed through depredation permits statewide, the DFW reported.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Wolf depredation in Cochise County last summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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So Green can go back to sad-sacking and triple-singling starting Saturday against the Thunder, and certainly Monday against the Jazz.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Getty Images Tottenham Hotspur are searching for their eighth manager/head coach (interim and permanent) since 2019 after sacking Thomas Frank on Wednesday amid a run of two wins in 17 Premier League games.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
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
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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.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rosi returns repeatedly to this theater, and to other films about the area, including the silent-era Last Days of Pompeii, suggesting that his own film might itself be part of an ongoing archival plunder.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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After more than a century of plunder and strife, under tyrants as diverse as King Leopold II of Belgium and Mobutu Sese Seko, the present-day DRC still occupies the dark heart of the continent in much of the world’s imagination.—
Holden Frith,
TheWeek,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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