1
as in to plunder
to search through with the intent of committing robbery
it was clear that the thieves who had ransacked the museum were professionals—they bypassed most of the exhibits and went straight for the vaults
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to search
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
I've ransacked the whole house for that book you lent me and it's nowhere to be found
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ransack
A week after inauguration day, his supporters ransacked government buildings in the capital Brasilia.
—
Carrie Kahn, NPR, 26 Mar. 2025
After the vicious attack, Baker and Austin ransacked the couple’s bedroom and removed the DVR from the garage where the home security footage was stored.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 17 Mar. 2025
This should be done federally but will not happen when America’s richest tech baron, Elon Musk, is already ransacking sensitive federal agency data with no legal warrant.
—Kevin Sullivan, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2025
The house appeared ransacked, and Miriam frantically called 911.
—Lindsey Schwartz, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Carrie Kahn, NPR, 26 Mar. 2025
After the vicious attack, Baker and Austin ransacked the couple’s bedroom and removed the DVR from the garage where the home security footage was stored.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 17 Mar. 2025
This should be done federally but will not happen when America’s richest tech baron, Elon Musk, is already ransacking sensitive federal agency data with no legal warrant.
—Kevin Sullivan, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2025
The house appeared ransacked, and Miriam frantically called 911.
—Lindsey Schwartz, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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For decades, the terrorist group has plundered Gaza and sacrificed its people in pursuit of an unending messianic war to eliminate the Jewish state.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
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From [nautical] mile 200, the Argentine Navy [ …] under the coordination of the Joint Maritime Command, stands firm, patrolling and watching and ensuring that no foreign ship crosses our exclusive economic zone to plunder what belongs to Argentines.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The study noted that 85% of breakup survivors search for explanations, all in an attempt to make sense of the cause of the split.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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The United States Coast Guard is searching for five missing people after a boat capsized near St. Lucie Inlet in Florida on Sunday.—
T. Michelle Murphy,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Uh uh, method dressing is forever, at least for Timothée Chalamet—until the next role-of-a-lifetime comes along, or the parcels of Bob Dylan ephemera pillaged from the online auction houses stop coming through the young actor’s door that is.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2025
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For centuries, the East India Company, a commercial and military organization, pillaged the riches of India to fund the British Empire and the company’s own expansion.—
Michael Knights,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Sporting found some moments of control in the second half and finally got a foothold in the game again.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
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With Mark Scheifele and Connor cycling on the outside, trying desperately to find a chance in the middle, Iafallo drove to the net and jumped on a Scheifele rebound, scoring the game-tying goal while off balance in the slot.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The city was sacked again — this time by the Turks — and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.—
Danuta Hamlin,
FOXNews.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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At the crossroads of Roman roads in ancient Gaul, Cassel was sacked by the Vikings in the late 9th century, and later became a 17th-century war prize fought over by France and Spain.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
AFAR Media,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Police say just before midnight that 10 people had been arrested citywide, including seven for breaking curfew and two for looting.—
Steve Earley,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2025
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Their testimonies—detailing missing relatives, murdered family members, homes looted then burned—should shake us to our core.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Anderson prefers to characterize Loewe as a cultural brand rather than a luxury one, finding the latter term despoiled.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
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Growth in Africa must be clean, both in terms of generating energy and not despoiling the continent’s landscape and natural resources.—
Jack A. Goldstone,
Foreign Affairs,
18 May 2023
Verb
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A little less than a month after the meeting, the FBI raided the offices of Feeding Our Future.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2025
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Getty Images — Erin Doherty 23 Hours Ago Tech, finance leaders reportedly visiting Trump to ‘talk common sense’ on tariffs An aerial view of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home after Trump said that FBI agents raided it, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. August 15, 2022.—
Erin Doherty,Annika Kim Constantino,Yun Li,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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