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
Langston Hughes3
: the action of looting
general loot of church land—Hilaire Belloc
Hilaire Belloc
looted; looting; loots
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
: to engage in robbing or plundering especially in war
looter
noun
Synonyms
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
Ethan Blevins, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
So, not enough loot compared to how good the original felt.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for loot 
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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
See all Example Sentences for loot
Dictionary Entries Near loot
Cite this Entry
“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loot. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
loot
1 of 2 noun
: something stolen or taken by force
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