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 infestation began with lo-fi beats, which mercenaries ransacked and rewired into a black hole of mindless loops.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
After Fabio was murdered, Baker and Austin then ransacked the couple’s bedroom.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 24 June 2025
Many of those followers were later part of the Jan. 8, 2023, riot, when the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace in Brasilia, the capital, were ransacked.
—Arkansas Online, 11 June 2025
The administration has argued that Marines and the National Guard were deployed to help halt the protests after some protestors ransacked a federal building, while others set cars on fire.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
After Fabio was murdered, Baker and Austin then ransacked the couple’s bedroom.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 24 June 2025
Many of those followers were later part of the Jan. 8, 2023, riot, when the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace in Brasilia, the capital, were ransacked.
—Arkansas Online, 11 June 2025
The administration has argued that Marines and the National Guard were deployed to help halt the protests after some protestors ransacked a federal building, while others set cars on fire.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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Although the passengers managed to swim or be hauled on ropes to shore, much of the ship’s cargo—which included tea, brandy, nails, iron, and Wright’s paintings—was lost, washed out of the ship’s hold and either plundered by a passing privateer and people living nearby or sunk below the waves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 July 2025
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The British Museum has many artifacts in its collection which were plundered during imperial and colonial eras, and are contested.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
11 July 2025
Verb
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But cosmologists have actually been searching for holes in the standard model—holes that might lead to a more complete understanding of spacetime, because the standard model has limitations.—
Sarah Scoles,
JSTOR Daily,
31 July 2025
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Police are searching for a suspect believed to have killed four family members in rural Tennessee and then abandoned a 7-month-old baby girl in a front yard 25 miles away this week.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
31 July 2025
Verb
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There is no serious evidence of starvation in Gaza, and what food scarcity does exist can be attributed to Hamas pillaging and hoarding aid.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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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
Verb
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Determined to find a way to make his first feature-length movie, Zhou took a multi-tiered approach to securing financing.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
25 July 2025
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As Cincinnati city leaders consider new ways to enforce the curfew for youth who stay out too late, an Enquirer review of data found police across Hamilton County have been steadily filing fewer curfew violations over the past 25 years.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
25 July 2025
Verb
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This is the first time a studio has put tickets for sale this early in advance, but considering Nolan has a loyal army of fans large enough to sack a city, there certainly won’t be any shortage of uptake.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen backed former boss Christian Horner before he got sacked by the higher-ups at the racing team.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Before its fury was exhausted, the mob rampaged through the Loop, breaking hundreds of windows and looting jewelry and department stores.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 July 2025
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Broadcasts aired stampedes of people trapped in the Superdome, overhead footage of submerged streets, and looted grocery stores.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 July 2025
Verb
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Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
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Gaddis was an obscure state employee who was fired from his job last summer after leaking details of a secret plot by the DeSantis administration to despoil nine pristine Florida state parks with golf courses, pickleball courts and resort-style lodges — all to benefit his wealthy friends.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 June 2025
Verb
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In Oakland, a 35-year-old man was charged with possessing and manufacturing assault weapons, after police raided his home during an online fireworks investigation.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
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But the agency discovered the scheme and found undocumented workers at the company’s site when officials raided it in 2018.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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