Loot or lute?
loot is a noun meaning “Synonym of booty, goods seized from an enemy by violence, particularly…”; lute is a noun meaning “A fretted stringed instrument, similar to the guitar, having a bowl-shaped body…”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) loot is about 4.2 times as common as lute.
What is the difference between loot and lute?
| loot | lute | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Meaning | Synonym of booty, goods seized from an enemy by violence, particularly (historical) during the sacking of a town in war or (video games) after successful… Synonym of sack, the plundering of a city, particularly during war Synonym of plunder, to seize by violence, particularly during the capture of a city during war or (video games) after successful combat | A fretted stringed instrument, similar to the guitar, having a bowl-shaped body or soundbox; any of a wide variety of chordophones with a pear-shaped body and… To play on a lute, or as if on a lute Thick sticky clay or cement used to close up a hole or gap, especially to make something air-tight |
| Example | India went from being a world-famous exporter of finished cloth into an importer, went from having 27% of world trade to less than 2%.… | none recorded |
| Forms | loots | lutes |
| Pronunciation | /luːt/ /lut/ /ɫʉːt/ | /l(j)uːt/ /lut/ /lɪu̯t/ |
| In writing | 3.1 times per million words | about once in every 1 million words |
Sources: loot and lute in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of loot and lute
loot
- 1
Synonym of booty, goods seized from an enemy by violence, particularly (historical) during the sacking of a town in war or (video games) after successful combat
India went from being a world-famous exporter of finished cloth into an importer, went from having 27% of world trade to less than 2%. Meanwhile, colonialists like Sir Robert…
- 2
Synonym of plunder, to seize by violence, particularly during the capture of a city during war or (video games) after successful combat
We looted the temple and the orphanage, which turned most of the NPCs against us
- 3
ScotlandUKA scoop used to remove scum from brine pans in saltworks
- 4
USdatedslangClipping of lieutenant
- 5
Synonym of sack, the plundering of a city, particularly during war
He consented to the loot of the city by the men under his command
- 6
To rifle through a dead body and the deceased's belongings, taking anything worth stealing
It's shameful to loot the bodies of the people who died today
- 7
UScolloquialAny valuable thing received for free, especially Christmas presents
Free Loot for Children
- 8
Synonym of rob, to steal something from someone by violence or threat of violence
He told me... that if I gave him less than to the master of the luggage-boat, he would... declare at Shēr-Gurry that I had ‘looted him!’
lute
- 1
A fretted stringed instrument, similar to the guitar, having a bowl-shaped body or soundbox; any of a wide variety of chordophones with a pear-shaped body and a neck whose upper surface is in the…
- 2
To play on a lute, or as if on a lute
- 3
Thick sticky clay or cement used to close up a hole or gap, especially to make something air-tight
- 4
To fix or fasten something with lute
- 5
A packing ring, as of rubber, for fruit jars, etc
- 6
A straight-edged piece of wood for striking off superfluous clay from earth
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, loot or lute?
loot appears 3.1 times per million words; lute about once in every 1 million words.
loot 3.1 times per million wordslute about once in every 1 million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).