loot

1 of 2

noun

ˈlüt 

1

: goods usually of considerable value taken in war : spoils

The soldiers helped themselves to any loot that they could find.

2

: something held to resemble goods of value seized in war: such as

a

: something appropriated illegally often by force or violence

the thieves' loot

b

: illicit gains by public officials

c

: money

would not … spend all that loot on her

—Langston Hughes

3

: the action of looting

general loot of church land

—Hilaire Belloc

loot

2 of 2

verb

looted; looting; loots

transitive verb

1

a

: to plunder or sack in war

b

: to rob especially on a large scale and usually by violence or corruption

2

: to seize and carry away by force especially in war

intransitive verb

: to engage in robbing or plundering especially in war

looter noun

Synonyms

Noun

• booty
• pillage
• plunder
• spoil
• swag

Verb

• despoil
• maraud
• pillage
• plunder
• ransack
• sack

Choose the Right Synonym for loot

spoil, plunder, booty, prize, loot mean something taken from another by force or craft.

spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

Examples of loot in a Sentence

Noun

After raiding the town, the soldiers helped themselves to any loot that they could find.

The thieves got a lot of loot in the robbery.

He made a lot of loot selling cars.

Verb

The soldiers were looting every house that they came to.

Soldiers swept through the territory, looting, burning, and killing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Legend says the outlaw Butch Cassidy hid vast stashes of loot across the West. —Ethan Blevins, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024

So, not enough loot compared to how good the original felt. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Verb

Recent decades have seen the repatriation of Khmer artifacts from abroad, some of which were looted in the 1970s during the period of violence and instability under the communist Khmer Rouge regime, per the Associated Press. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024

Since 2022, the detainees are believed to have looted millions of euros and run up a similar amount in property damage, from 2022 to 2024, Europol said. —Sophie Tanno, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Hindi & Urdu lūṭ; akin to Sanskrit luṇṭati he plunders

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

loot

1 of 2 noun

ˈlüt 

: something stolen or taken by force

loot

2 of 2 verb

: plunder entry 1, steal

looter noun

Legal Definition

loot

transitive verb

1

: to rob especially during or following a catastrophe (as war, riot, or natural disaster)

2

: to rob especially on a large scale and usually by violence or corruption

intransitive verb

: to engage in robbing especially after a catastrophe

looter noun