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
Relevance
Examples 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
Archaeologists found the wooden coffin and Ramses’ mummy in a hiding place at the Deir el-Bahari temple complex in 1881, but the alabaster and granite sarcophagi were missing, likely looted by ancient tomb robbers.
—
Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024
The theft was indicative of a disheartening trend unfolding across the United States; other Nativity scenes had been looted that year, including displays in Tennessee, West Virginia and Minnesota.
—John Otis, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
In an attempt to address past wrongs, in 2022, the Belgian parliament passed a law establishing a legal framework for the restitution and return of the property looted from the colonial-era Belgian Congo.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Power plants, oil refineries, and distribution networks have been systematically destroyed or looted, or have fallen into disrepair.
—Karam Shaar, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
In the event that chemical weapons go missing or are looted in the post-Assad chaos, interested nations could fund a reward program to recover missing chemical weapon materials.
—Gregory D. Koblentz, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2024
But last year, investigators announced that the piece had been looted from Bubon, and the artwork was seized from the New York museum and returned to Turkey.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
After experts confirmed that it had likely been looted, officials decided to return it to Turkey.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Evidence found in liberated areas and seen in satellite images shows Russian forces have destroyed and looted multiple religious sites and desecrated monuments, churches and monasteries across occupied areas.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looted
Verb
-
All three were plundered by thieves in ancient and medieval times, so many of the items originally left are no longer there.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
-
Along with thousands of others, these artifacts were plundered by French colonial troops in 1892.Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital.Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
-
Israeli forces previously raided Kamal Adwan in October and stormed the Indonesian Hospital earlier this week, forcing its evacuation.David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after apparently having been abandoned.ABDULRAHMAN SHAHEEN and ABBY SEWELL, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024
-
Thousands of people assembled at the foot of the main square in Damascus, where rebels ransacked Assad’s residence.Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near looted
Cite this Entry
“Looted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looted. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share