loot

[loot]

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noun

spoils or plunder taken by pillaging, as in war.

anything taken by dishonesty, force, stealth, etc.: a burglar's loot.

a collection of valued objects: The children shouted and laughed as they opened their Christmas loot.

Slang. money: You'll have a fine time spending all that loot.

act of looting or plundering: to take part in the loot of a conquered city.

verb (used with object)

to carry off or take (something) as loot: to loot a nation's art treasures.

to despoil by taking loot; plunder or pillage (a city, house, etc.), as in war.

to rob, as by burglary or corrupt activity in public office: to loot the public treasury.

verb (used without object)

to take loot; plunder: The conquerors looted and robbed.

Origin of loot

1780–90; < Hindi lūṭ, akin to Sanskrit luṇṭhati (he) steals

Related formsloot·er, noun

Synonyms for loot

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR loot ON THESAURUS.COM

1. booty. 7. sack, ransack.

loot

[loot]

verb Scot.

simple past tense of let¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for looting

burglarize, raid, pillage, rob, snatch, plunder, gut, grab, ransack, boost, thieve, loft, liberate, make, swipe, sack, despoil, relieve, appropriate, lift

Examples from the Web for looting

Contemporary Examples of looting

But burning, rioting, and looting are disgraceful—and they make for real-life victims we somehow never hear about.
It’s Time to Hold Protesters Accountable
Ron Christie
December 4, 2014
Rioting and looting ensued shortly after the verdict and racial tensions were tense across the United States for years to follow.
It’s Time to Hold Protesters Accountable
Ron Christie
December 4, 2014
In January 1948, Spitz again fell under suspicion for his role in the looting of art in Europe during the war.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters
Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner
September 20, 2014
NOTE: D'Souza's quote from Newsmax compared ISIS to 'what's going on in Furgeson,' and beheading to looting.
Dinesh D’Souza: Ferguson Protesters Are Just Like ISIS
Olivia Nuzzi
August 25, 2014
This reminded me of the street battles going on in Missouri and looting accusations.
Bam! Pow! Bling! Hip-Hop's History Gets the Graphic Novel Treatment
Daniel Genis
August 25, 2014

Historical Examples of looting

He's in it, just as much as if he'd got a thousand men behind him, all looting territory.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
The joints had been better barricaded, and the looting had been kept to a minimum.
Police Your Planet
Lester del Rey
Over on the east coast, the outlaws are looting whole towns.
The Cosmic Computer
Henry Beam Piper
The lusts of conquest, and of looting, and of combat, all contribute to this spirit of war.
The Psychology of Nations
G.E. Partridge
The looting went on persistently and on a scale almost unthinkable.
A History of the United States
Cecil Chesterton

British Dictionary definitions for looting

loot

noun

goods stolen during pillaging, as in wartime, during riots, etc

goods, money, etc, obtained illegally

informal money or wealth

the act of looting or plundering

verb

to pillage (a city, settlement, etc) during war or riots

to steal (money or goods), esp during pillaging

Derived Formslooter, noun

Word Origin for loot

C19: from Hindi lūt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for looting

1842, verbal noun from loot (v.).

loot

"goods taken from an enemy, etc.," 1788, Anglo-Indian, from Hindi lut, from Sanskrit loptram, lotram "booty, stolen property," from PIE *roup-tro-, from root *reup- "to snatch" (see rip (v.)). The verb is first attested 1821, from the noun. Related: Looted; looting.