booty

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Valuable goods taken by force, such as by pirates, soldiers or thieves.

   Grammar: No plural and no an or an: they shared the booty.

   Patterns

   • booty from something
   • share the booty

   The pirates buried their booty on a remote island.

   The thieves divided the booty after the robbery.

   Soldiers carried home booty from the conquered city.

2. 2noununcountablehumorous

   A prize or valuable thing gained through effort or luck.

   Grammar: Used humorously for ordinary gains: shopping booty.

   Patterns

   • bring home the booty

   We came home from the sale with a pile of booty.

   The kids showed off their Halloween booty.

3. 3nouncountableinformalslang

   A person's buttocks.

   Grammar: Casual and playful; avoid in formal speech.

   Patterns

   • shake your booty

   The song told everyone to shake their booty.

   The class included a dance routine to work the booty.

Common combinations

pirate booty

Pirate booty was said to lie under the old tree.

share the booty

The gang shared the booty equally.

war booty

Museums contain war booty from many conflicts.

stolen booty

Police recovered the stolen booty.

shake your booty

Come on, shake your booty on the dance floor.

Synonyms and how they differ

loot

Loot is the closest word and is the more common one for goods stolen during unrest or a break-in.

plunder

Plunder stresses the act of robbing as well as the goods, and it suits armies and raids.

spoils

Spoils are the gains of a victory, so the word is tied to winning a war or contest.

haul

Haul is casual and means a large amount obtained, legally or not.

Word family

bootylicious adjective

informal word for attractive in shape

booty call noun

informal slang for a casual sexual invitation

Commonly confused: booty or bootee?

Practice

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