Definition of 'loot'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense loots
, present participle looting
, past tense, past participle looted
1. verb
There have been reports of youths taking advantage of the general confusion to loot
and steal. [VERB]
2. verb
If someone loots things, they steal them, for example during a war or riot.
3. uncountable noun
Loot is stolen money or goods.
[informal]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
loot in British English
noun
4.
the act of looting or plundering
verb
5.
to pillage (a city, settlement, etc) during war or riots
6.
to steal (money or goods), esp during pillaging
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
looter (ˈlooter) noun
Word origin
C19: from Hindi lūtWord Frequency
loot in American English
noun
1.
2.
the act of looting
verb transitive
5.
to take or carry off as plunder; steal
verb intransitive
6.
to engage in plundering
SIMILAR WORDS: spoil
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
looter (ˈlooter)
noun
Word origin
Hindi lūt < Sans luṇṭ, to rob
Word Frequency
loot in American English 1
(luːt)
noun
1.
spoils or plunder taken by pillaging, as in war
3.
a collection of valued objects
The children shouted and laughed as they opened their Christmas loot
4. slang
money
You'll have a fine time spending all that loot
5.
act of looting or plundering
to take part in the loot of a conquered city
transitive verb
6.
to carry off or take (something) as loot
to loot a nation's art treasures
7.
to despoil by taking loot; plunder or pillage (a city, house, etc.), as in war
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. booty. 7. sack, ransack.9.
to take loot; plunder
The conquerors looted and robbed
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
looter noun
Word origin
[1780–90; ‹ Hindi lūṭ, akin to Skt luṇṭhati (he) steals]Word Frequency
loot in American English 2
(luːt)
verb
Scot pt. of let1
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Examples of 'loot' in a sentence
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In other languages
loot
British English: loot
VERB /luːt/
If people loot, or loot stores or houses, they steal things from them, for example, during a war or riot.
The trouble began when gangs began breaking windows and looting shops.
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Related terms of
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Source
Definition of loot from the Collins English Dictionary
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