Synonyms of loot

loot 1 of 2

noun

ˈlüt 

1

as in plunder

valuables stolen or taken by force

the burglar was caught when he foolishly stopped to examine the loot from the robbery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plunder
• treasure
• booty
• prize
• spoil
• pillage
• swag
• haul
• catch
• windfall
• pilferage
• take

2

as in cash

something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment

a top-ranked golfer earning plenty of loot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cash
• money
• coin
• currency
• bucks
• gold
• funds
• dough
• chips
• coinage
• pelf
• change
• lucre
• shekels
• green
• wampum
• legal tender
• bread
• scratch
• cabbage
• dollar
• tender
• kale
• moola
• long green
• lolly
• resources
• wallet
• needful
• specie
• capital
• scrip
• money order
• treasure
• jack
• paper money
• wealth
• finances
• riches
• promissory note
• pittance
• bankroll
• roll
• folding money
• bill
• bomb
• pile
• draft
• abundance
• banknote
• mint
• dime
• opulence
• bundle
• peanuts
• wad
• means
• chump change
• pot
• greenback
• fortune
• check
• dead presidents
• big bucks
• note
• dibs
• boodle
• megabucks
• mite
• pocket money
• petty cash
• pin money
• spending money
• shoestring
• earth
• packet
• cashier's check
• wherewithal
• mad money
• king's ransom

loot

2 of 2

verb

as in to plunder

to search through with the intent of committing robbery

the bandits looted the archaeological dig before riding off into the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plunder
• sack
• pillage
• raid
• despoil
• ransack
• maraud
• rifle
• rake
• steal (from)
• comb
• break in
• hunt
• burglarize
• rummage
• rip off
• harry
• ravish

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun loot differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of loot are booty, plunder, prize, spoils, and spoil. While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

When could booty be used to replace loot?

While in some cases nearly identical to loot, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When might plunder be a better fit than loot?

In some situations, the words plunder and loot are roughly equivalent. However, plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

In what contexts can prize take the place of loot?

Although the words prize and loot have much in common, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

How do spoil and spoils relate to one another, in the sense of loot?

Spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of loot

Noun

Unbeknownst to her, the loot had been stashed in her attic crawl space. —Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026

As the historian William Dalrymple explains in a 2015 article on loot and colonialism for The Guardian, the East India Company extracted copious amounts of wealth and items of value from India and the Mughal Empire. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

Verb

Hospitals that haven’t been looted, burned or shuttered are dealing with limited budgets and the tightening grip of armed gangs. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026

After the supermarket burned down and his mom’s store was looted during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, his family relocated to Hawaii. —Hanna Park, CNN Money, 10 May 2026