/ luːt; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
to steal things from shops / stores or buildings after a riot , fire, etc. :
[ vn ]
More than 20 shops were looted.
[also v ]
► loot·er / ˈluːtə(r); NAmE / noun
► loot·ing noun [ U ]
■ noun [ U ]
1.
money and valuable objects taken by soldiers from the enemy after winning a battle
SYN booty
2.
( informal ) money and valuable objects that have been stolen by thieves
3.
( informal ) money
••
WORD ORIGIN
early 19th cent. (as a verb): from Hindi lūṭ , from Sanskrit luṇṭh- rob.