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
The A-list couple was not home at the time, but the home was ransacked before the group took off.
—
Alex Stone, ABC News, 20 May 2025
The Palisades Fire, the biggest one, burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, while the Eaton Fire, which began in Altadena, burned more than 14,000 acres and ransacked more than 9,000 structures, CalFire said.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 21 Feb. 2025
His New Orleans hotel room, however, had been ransacked.
—Alex Heigl, People.com, 18 May 2025
Cops found no evidence that the store was ransacked and could not tell whether any of the pricey jewelry usually bought and sold there had been taken, police sources said at the time.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Alex Stone, ABC News, 20 May 2025
The Palisades Fire, the biggest one, burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, while the Eaton Fire, which began in Altadena, burned more than 14,000 acres and ransacked more than 9,000 structures, CalFire said.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 21 Feb. 2025
His New Orleans hotel room, however, had been ransacked.
—Alex Heigl, People.com, 18 May 2025
Cops found no evidence that the store was ransacked and could not tell whether any of the pricey jewelry usually bought and sold there had been taken, police sources said at the time.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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After France fell to Germany, the Nazis requisitioned the museum as a sorting facility for art plundered from French Jewish dealers and citizens disenfranchised by the state.—
Nina Siegal,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Some Quebecois housed troops or joined pro-patriot militias; others joined the British in firing muskets and artillery at the men invading their homeland and plundering their homesteads.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
Verb
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In the days ahead, Israel’s superior intelligence apparatus will search for targets of opportunity - commanders and equipment changing location, or the movement of materiel to facilitate a response – and continue to strike.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
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The Illinois Trust Act prohibits police from searching, arresting or detaining people solely because of their immigration status.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Noni finds him in Crete, where Lion’s crew of pirates, assembled from fighters from around the world, are currently pillaging and enslaving a town.—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
9 June 2025
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Angry over the tagless intruders' prior antics in pillaging their resources, a horde of players descend upon the USS Callister crew, who flee while digital Nanette makes her way to the engine in the hopes of finding a solve.—
Joey Nolfi,
EW.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Fears that a serial killer is at large were reignited by the recent discovery of a body in a Texas lake, where 19 corpses have been found over the past three years.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
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If finding indoor shelter is not an option: Stay away from open fields, hill summits, or ridge tops.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Paulo Fonseca was sacked in December, while the end of the season saw the club decide to end Sergio Conceicao’s tenure after an eighth-place finish.—
Adam Digby,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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Former Porto head coach Conceicao was sacked after just five months in charge on Thursday following a disappointing eighth place finish in Serie A that saw the club miss out on European qualification for 2025-26.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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In 2015, the death of Gray in police custody triggered a series of demonstrations that grew and intensified, culminating in unrest on the day of his funeral in which buildings and cars were torched, shopkeepers beaten, and stores and pharmacies looted.—
Jean Marbella,
Baltimore Sun,
14 June 2025
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Stores along Division Street were looted and set on fire.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 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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Immigration authorities, wearing bulletproof vests and other tactical gear, recently raided a popular San Diego Italian restaurant.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
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Court revives suit over wrong-house raid WASHINGTON -- An Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI will get a new day in court, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday.—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports,
Arkansas Online,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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