What does looted mean?
Looted is the past tense and past participle of loot, a verb meaning to take goods or property by force. Its most common use describes shops, homes, vehicles, or other places being emptied during riots, war, civil disorder, or a breakdown of authority. It can also describe people or groups taking valuable items quickly, as in reports that protesters looted a store. The word carries a strong association with theft, destruction, and public disorder, so it is often more emotionally charged than the neutral terms rob or steal. In journalism and historical writing, looted commonly appears in phrases such as looted stores or looted during the unrest. Although the word is used in both British and American English, its force comes from the dramatic circumstances it usually implies rather than from a regional difference.
verbThe past tense and past participle of loot: to take goods or property by force, especially during war, rioting, or other disorder. It can also mean to seize valuable goods quickly, often from a shop or other place.
- To take goods or property by force, especially during war, rioting, or disorder.
- To seize or empty goods quickly from a place.
"During the unrest, protesters looted several stores in the city centre."
"The crowd looted the market before police arrived."
"The abandoned store was looted of anything of value."
When shops are looted, chaos turns ordinary goods into a symbol of disorder.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does looted come from?
The form looted is formed regularly from the English verb loot by adding the inflection -ed. The English word loot itself was established in the early modern period, but its precise ultimate origin is uncertain. Modern forms such as looter and looting developed within English from the same verb.
Related word forms
How looted is actually used
The word is strongly associated with violence, disorder, or widespread theft and is therefore often more vivid and dramatic than simply saying that property was stolen.
Easily confused with looted
Looted means taken by force, whereas luted means sealed or finished with lute, a sealing material.