Spanish word

saqueo

Pronunciation

IPA/saˈkeo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounlooting

Example

Hubo un saqueo en la tienda después del corte de luz.

There was looting in the store after the power outage.

Illustration for saqueo (looting)

More examples

La policía logró impedir el saqueo gracias a patrullas reforzadas.

The police managed to prevent looting thanks to reinforced patrols.

Core concept

Crowd forcing open a shop and filling bags with merchandise.

Common phrases

  • medidas contra el saqueo

    measures against looting

  • prevenir el saqueo

    prevent looting

Similar words

robo: Taking someone's property using force or threats.
asalto: Sudden attack on a person or place to seize valuables.
hurto: Secretly taking someone else's belongings without force.
pillaje: Destructive plundering of property amid war or violent disorder.

Definition in Spanish

Designa el acto colectivo de saquear: tomar por la fuerza o mediante desorden bienes ajenos, frecuente en motines, disturbios o tras incidentes como cortes de luz.

Word origin

From the verb saquear, itself from Late Latin *saccāre based on Latin saccus 'sack', where the image of emptying sacks evolved into the idea of plunder.

Usage tips

  • In Spanish news, 'hubo saqueos' signals collective, large-scale thefts after disturbances or outages, and the plural 'saqueos' is often used to report repeated incidents rather than isolated thefts.

Opposites

Related words

  • saqueadolootedadjective
  • saquearlootverb

Word lists with this word