looting 1 of 2

looting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of loot
as in plundering
to search through with the intent of committing robbery the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of looting
Noun
At least four people have been killed as violence and looting spread across the country, Reuters reported. Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026 Last year, the NCMM received 113 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands—the largest single return of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British looting, according to the commission. Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026 The power loss, a culmination of lightning strikes at various substations and a failure to control power output, led to widespread looting and vandalism amid social and economic unrest. USA Today, 29 June 2026 Pretoria’s memory of large-scale unrest in July 2021 — when looting and arson left hundreds dead and billions in damage — hangs over the preparations, shaping how officials and businesses are responding. Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 June 2026 Allegations circulating online—including accusations of looting and interference with aid—have further inflamed public sentiment, though many claims remain unverified. Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 So, so much of this looting was done in the shadow of the war, shadow of the genocide. Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 28 June 2026 Long-term restoration projects address damage caused by war, weather and looting, including the broken outline of the western side. ABC News, 18 June 2026 This looting of the Treasury has apparently been averted, following a rare revolt by Republican lawmakers. Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Verb
Gordon worked with archeologists to match statues to specific sites that Toek Tik raided, mapping out looting networks. Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 June 2026 Both were offered up by the same person, Marino Massimo De Caro, later convicted of looting an Italian library. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 8 June 2026 Police stopped the violence there that night, but more racist beatings and looting erupted downtown. USA Today, 2 June 2026 Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade. Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026 Israel is razing and looting homes and has vowed to prevent hundreds of thousands of residents, predominantly Shiites, though also members of other religious communities, from returning. Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 As with Osterweil, who argued that white supremacy can render even violent looting a legitimate act, Piker and Tolentino suggest that certain crimes become not just morally justifiable but even admirable when coupled with a claim against structural injustice. Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026 Richard Schmeelk died at age 97 in May 2022 — but Corona kept on looting his widow’s accounts, according to court records. Kamaron McNair,dan Mangan, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026 The trio stripped down and left little to the imagination in their lingerie, raided the liquor cabinet, soaked in a bubble bath, stole a Grammy and cannonballed into a pool — all while looting the house for cash and jewels. Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looting
Noun
  • The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is investigating a robbery and assault that left a 73-year-old hiker unconscious and his wallet gone.
    Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Some of those ​arrested were undocumented migrants detained for violating ​immigration rules, while others were arrested for public violence, harboring ‌illegal immigrants and robbery.
    Reuters, NBC news, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • New genetic data indicates that cats feeding off the abundant rodents plundering human food stores domesticated themselves for similar reasons around 10,000 years ago.
    Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 10 June 2026
  • But Texas Tech isn't the only program from the Lone Star State whose commit list LSU is plundering.
    Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 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
  • In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.
    Brandon Prins, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Want to stop raiding the fridge every night before bed?
    Dr. Deepika Chopra, Flow Space, 16 June 2026
  • While our dreams of raiding Tay Tay’s closet will likely never come true, that won’t stop of from borrowing her style and shopping Swift’s favorite designer brands.
    Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • No amount of macho beatdowns in the UFC cage matches on the White House lawn will make anyone forget Epstein’s depredations.
    Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
  • The striped bass shark depredations have also been occurring off Chatham’s Monomoy Island — a hotspot for seals, which attract great white sharks.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.
    Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • One source close to the squad, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic that the AUF considered sacking Bielsa around this period, aware of the ongoing issues with the squad.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 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
  • 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
  • To the family’s lawyer, Markus Stötzel, the case is a typical example of Nazi plunder in need of immediate restoration.
    Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
  • The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.
    Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Looting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looting. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on looting

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster