loot

1 of 2

noun

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 herLangston Hughes
3
: the action of looting
general loot of church landHilaire 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
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
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.
Noun
Remy and Mike are ready to call it quits after Bo (executive producer Jamie Lee Curtis) ostensibly falls to her death and Charlie (Mark O’Brien) growls his threats from Boston, but Ruth’s idea to use a tanker truck gets them back in with the hope of an even greater loot than before. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024 The presentation is more in the vein of the board from the Civilization games — as maps are completed, the board will expand, removing a fog of war to unlock more maps and specific destinations with modifiers, loot, and so on. Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman warned residents of looters and vowed to punish them Wednesday amid reports of looting in the county as firefighters struggle to contain multiple wildfires raging in Southern California, including the massive Pacific Palisades fire. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Jan. 2025 At least 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting during the wildfires raging in Los Angeles County, according to officials. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for loot 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of loot was circa 1788

Dictionary Entries Near loot

Cite this Entry

“Loot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loot. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

loot

1 of 2 noun
: something stolen or taken by force

loot

2 of 2 verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on loot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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