Standard Lemma guide

looter

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈlutɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːtə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: L UW1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who loots, who steals during a general disturbance such as a riot or natural disaster.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • After the hurricane, before law was restored, looters stole everything that wasn't nailed down.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: plunderer, pillager, spoiler, despoiler, raider, freebooter

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: thief, stealer

Narrower terms: pirate, buccaneer, sea robber, sea rover

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Prakrit 𑀮𑀼𑀝𑁆𑀝 (luṭṭa) Hindi लूट (lūṭ)bor. English loot English -er English looter From loot + -er.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: çapovulçu — one who loots
  • Finnish: ryöstelijä — one who loots
  • French: pilleur — one who loots
  • French: pillard — one who loots
  • German: Plünderer — one who loots
  • Greek: πλιατσικολόγος (pliatsikológos) — one who loots
  • Indonesian: penjarah — one who loots
  • Irish: sladaí — one who loots
  • Irish: sladaire — one who loots
  • Latin: expīlātor — one who loots
  • Latin: praedātor — one who loots
  • Māori: kaipāhua — one who loots
  • Māori: kaipāhuahua — one who loots
  • Norman: pilleux — one who loots
  • Polish: szabrownik — one who loots
  • Russian: мародёр (marodjór) — one who loots
  • Swahili: mporaji — one who loots
  • Ottoman Turkish: چاپولجی (çapulcu) — one who loots
  • Ottoman Turkish: پلاچقهجی (plaçkacı) — one who loots