booty

booty — noun

1. money or valuable things taken in war, raids, or robberies.

1.nounC1
Definition

money or valuable things taken in war, raids, or robberies.

Example

The rebels loaded carts with booty from the governor's house before sunrise.

booty from + place taken

After the battle, soldiers argued over how to divide the gold booty.

divide the booty — common pattern

Common collocations
  • war booty
  • pirate booty
  • divide the booty
  • recover the booty
  • bury the booty
Synonyms
  • loot

    common word for stolen goods, especially after a robbery or riot

  • plunder

    more literary and strongly linked to war, raiding, or violent theft

  • spoils

    often used for what is divided among winners after conflict or competition

Grammar Patterns

booty from [place/attack]

divide the booty

bury the booty

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and common in historical, crime, or pirate contexts. Distinguish from sense 3, where the things are gained legally or by luck rather than taken by force.

Common Mistakes

The army shared the booty with the shop owner who sold it to them.
The army shared the booty they had taken from the town.
this sense refers to property seized by force or theft, not goods bought in an ordinary sale.

2. someone's buttocks, especially in casual or joking speech.

2.nounB2
Definition

someone's buttocks, especially in casual or joking speech.

Example

Hana slipped on the wet step and landed on her booty.

land on + your booty

The dance teacher told the children to shake their booty and laugh.

informal phrase: shake your booty

Common collocations
  • shake your booty
  • land on your booty
  • sit on your booty
  • save your booty
Synonyms
  • bottom

    neutral everyday word and the safest choice in polite conversation

  • butt

    very common and direct, but blunter than 'bottom'

  • backside

    milder and slightly more old-fashioned than 'butt'

  • buttocks

    clinical or anatomical term rather than a playful one

Grammar Patterns

your / his / her booty

land on your booty

shake your booty

Usage Note

Informal and playful, often heard in jokes, songs, and casual conversation. Distinguish from 'bottom' for a neutral everyday word and 'buttocks' for medical or anatomical contexts.

Common Mistakes

The doctor examined my booty.
The doctor examined my buttocks.
'booty' sounds jokey and is not suitable in medical contexts.

3. a fun pile of good things you manage to get, whether by winning them, buying the

3.nounC1
Definition

a fun pile of good things you manage to get, whether by winning them, buying them, or bringing them back.

Example

Greta came home from the yard sale with plenty of booty.

plenty of booty — informal quantity pattern

After the raffle, the cousins counted their booty: mugs, tea, and candy.

Common collocations
  • yard-sale booty
  • market booty
  • booty from the trip
  • show off your booty
  • plenty of booty
Synonyms
  • haul

    good for a large amount collected or bought, especially after a trip or shopping

  • winnings

    used when the things come from a game, race, or bet

  • prize

    usually a single reward rather than a mixed collection of items

Grammar Patterns

plenty of booty

booty from [trip/sale]

show off your booty

Usage Note

Usually playful and positive. Distinguish from sense 1: here the things are good finds or prizes, not property taken by theft or violence.

Common Mistakes

The winners hid their booty from the police.
The winners showed off their booty after the contest.
this sense is playful and positive, not about stolen goods.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

For the body-part meaning, 'booty' is very informal and playful, especially in songs, jokes, and casual speech. 'Bottom' is the safest everyday choice and works well with children or in polite conversation. 'Butt' is also common, but it sounds blunter. 'Backside' is softer and a little old-fashioned, while 'rear' is the most formal and often appears in notices or instructions. 'Buttocks' is the anatomical word, so it sounds clinical rather than playful. You might say 'The child fell on her bottom,' 'He sat on his butt,' or 'The nurse checked the skin on his buttocks.' Use 'booty' only when a light, joking tone fits.

bottom ↗butt ↗backside ↗rear ↗buttocks

Etymology

Middle Low GermanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The older sense of 'booty' entered English in the late Middle Ages from a Low German word for goods taken as a share after fighting or raiding. That is why the earliest English uses are about plunder and stolen property. Much later, especially in American slang, the word was extended jokingly to mean a person's buttocks, probably because it came to suggest something attractive or desirable. The informal sense for a valuable haul or a pile of good things also grows out of that older idea of spoils or prize goods.