looted

past tense of loot
as in plundered
to search through with the intent of committing robbery the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 looted Shopkeepers boarded up windows while others opened temporarily and endured a nervous Saturday afternoon, after around 3,000 shops were damaged or looted last weekend. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 Some 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted over the weekend. — Richard Engel, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2026 French officials said more than 3,000 shops were looted, and some 2,500 people were taken into police custody in connection to last weekend's nationwide protests. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Independent fashion brand Make My Lemonade was among those looted last weekend. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 More than 3,000 businesses were looted or damaged over the weekend, according to Commerce Minister Serge Papin, including shops in Paris’s Les Halles district. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Clashes in Paris and other cities left vehicles and buildings burning, shops looted and several people injured. — Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 As night fell in Paris, groups of young people looted and started fires as protests ended, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges in the narrow streets. — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looted
Verb
  • Social media posts and merchant reports said luxury and beauty stores, including Sephora, Celine, Burberry and Louis Vuitton, were plundered.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • But there is very little archaeological evidence available, given that many of the earliest Egyptian tombs were plundered and/or hastily excavated.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Shopkeepers who’ve found their livelihoods suddenly at stake wonder where the police were while groups looted and pillaged with impunity.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
  • But Nolan also throws a meditative new wrinkle into the story, as Odysseus comes to grips with his role in the Trojan War, leading the charge as his men raped, murdered and pillaged in his name.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • Offensive line The group was exceptional in the run game and overall did a good job protecting Willis, who was sacked twice by a Jets defense that entered the game fifth in the league in sacks with 17.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Young had three turnovers, got sacked five times, threw for a mere 163 yards and left in the fourth quarter with the Panthers trailing, 43-6.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Last week, Omar’s Washington, DC, home was raided by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    — Miles Bryan, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The child's parents were killed in September 2019 when Army Rangers, along with Afghan forces, raided a rural compound.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • In the 21st century, oil extraction has become a serious threat to Ecuadoran Amazonia, with large swaths of forest, often located in Indigenous territories, despoiled by the release of wastewater from the wells.
    — Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Grocery stores, clothing shops, cafés, health clinics and public buildings were ransacked in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and other cities.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Widespread violence erupted across France over the weekend, as rioters and looters ransacked storefronts, clashed with police and set fire to municipal buildings.
    — Max Butterworth, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Looted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looted. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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