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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ransack
On April 18, Fort Lauderdale officers were called to an Airbnb in the 1600 block of Northwest 16th Court after a group of women who had rented the home returned to find it in disarray, furniture flipped over, their belongings ransacked a man inside.
—
Angie Dimichele,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Entire ancient cities had been ransacked to the benefit of wealthy collectors and expansion-minded museum curators, who had profited from those works while the nation that had produced them starved.
—
Matthew Campbell,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Rubio said Cuba’s current crisis should be blamed on the military officials behind GAESA, which has ransacked the country’s revenue for their benefit, leaving most Cubans impoverished.
—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
On May 5, a person returned to their Westlake Village home and found that the house had been ransacked and multiple things had been stolen.
—
Fedor Zarkhin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Angie Dimichele,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Entire ancient cities had been ransacked to the benefit of wealthy collectors and expansion-minded museum curators, who had profited from those works while the nation that had produced them starved.
—
Matthew Campbell,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Rubio said Cuba’s current crisis should be blamed on the military officials behind GAESA, which has ransacked the country’s revenue for their benefit, leaving most Cubans impoverished.
—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
On May 5, a person returned to their Westlake Village home and found that the house had been ransacked and multiple things had been stolen.
—
Fedor Zarkhin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
-
Or was the hole man-made with a malevolent intent, perhaps plundering a grave for artifacts?
-
The instability left Cambodia's temples unprotected and vulnerable to plunder that was often carried out by former Khmer Rouge child soldiers.
Verb
-
Prosecutors argued during the hearing that the murders were premeditated, as a cup that was in front of Benning in a photo was missing when police searched the scene.
-
Kamran said rescuers were searching through the rubble after receiving reports that more children could be trapped beneath the debris.
Verb
-
Unfortunately, a group of eastern kings pillage Sodom and Gomorrah and take Lot captive along with others.
-
Triarchy forces that escaped the Battle of the Gullet have been pillaging the mainland, and some come across Aegon’s captors, cutting short a bit of squabbling between the two.
Verb
-
Ease off the accelerator - Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.
-
His attorneys contend the containers found on Pino’s boat were collected from other friends’ vessels partying with them on the sandbar that day.
Verb
-
That came in the spring of 2025, about 11 months after his dad had been sacked as coach, when Pochettino, the new manager, gave the younger Berhalter his first national team call-up.
-
To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.
Verb
-
For his part, Klaus Kallmann also claims that his father, Hartmut Kallmann, always said that their family’s art collection was fully intact when the Nazis came to power and that the collection subsequently looted.
-
Though it had been looted by kids, most of the material was eventually recovered.
Verb
-
One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.
-
In the 21st century, oil extraction has become a serious threat to Ecuadoran Amazonia, with large swaths of forest, often located in Indigenous territories, despoiled by the release of wastewater from the wells.
Verb
-
Kerr’s home in Florida was raided by the FBI on the same day.
-
And try not to raid your retirement savings for a household expense.
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
