as in plundering
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1
as in looting
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
2
as in searching
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
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Recent Examples of ransacking
Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
The mere sight of the ransacking seems to quicken his speech.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Two men were arrested in connection with a series of high-end burglaries at the homes of affluent Southern Californians, including the ransacking of superstar Brad Pitt’s house, law enforcement sources said Monday.
—Andrew Blankstein, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
The city of Los Angeles is about to raise property tax bills because thieves and vandals won’t stop ransacking the city’s infrastructure to steal copper wire.
—Susan Shelley, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
The nationwide outage comes just two days after a large crowd of protesters, fed up with the island's energy crisis, were caught on camera attacking a local Communist Party headquarters in Cuba, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
After ransacking the house, the sheriff and deputies left.
—Ted Olson, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors said Tatara went back and forth from ransacking Czech’s camp and punching, kicking and hitting Czech with the cast iron skillet.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
In the video, the animals can be seen ransacking the establishment to satisfy their cravings, snacking on protein shakes, coffee and supplements.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
In one case, Naqvi apparently tried to pin the ransacking of an apartment on an ex-boyfriend.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
The mere sight of the ransacking seems to quicken his speech.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Two men were arrested in connection with a series of high-end burglaries at the homes of affluent Southern Californians, including the ransacking of superstar Brad Pitt’s house, law enforcement sources said Monday.
—Andrew Blankstein, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
After busting down his door and ransacking his home, armed officers found neither drugs nor any signs of a kidnapping.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
The city of Los Angeles is about to raise property tax bills because thieves and vandals won’t stop ransacking the city’s infrastructure to steal copper wire.
—Susan Shelley, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
The nationwide outage comes just two days after a large crowd of protesters, fed up with the island's energy crisis, were caught on camera attacking a local Communist Party headquarters in Cuba, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
After ransacking the house, the sheriff and deputies left.
—Ted Olson, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors said Tatara went back and forth from ransacking Czech’s camp and punching, kicking and hitting Czech with the cast iron skillet.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
In the video, the animals can be seen ransacking the establishment to satisfy their cravings, snacking on protein shakes, coffee and supplements.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacking
Noun
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Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.—
Tom Page,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.—
Brett Whalen,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His case grew out of a broader Miami indictment filed in 2018 that charged eight associates with looting PDVSA, including senior executives and lawyers.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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In most academic histories of European imperialism written in this century, the Europeans are the barbarians, killing and raping and looting on an unprecedented scale.—
David A. Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cops are searching for multiple suspects wearing ski masks last seen fleeing the scene on foot.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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With the Heat searching for answers amid its rough stretch, rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis was not part of the roation on Monday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Amid the pillaging of homes, Roman magistrates were likely sent to the city to prevent an anarchic type of existence, based on ancient literary sources the authors referenced in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.—
Brandon Prins,
The Conversation,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The confrontation went viral in December 2024, as cameras captured Gastineau confronting Favre in 2023 over Michael Strahan sacking the Green Bay Packers legend to break Gastineau's single-season sack record.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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So Green can go back to sad-sacking and triple-singling starting Saturday against the Thunder, and certainly Monday against the Jazz.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile in Tehran, rescue workers were combing through rubble Friday morning trying to find survivors after overnight strikes there.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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And if the idea of combing through your spending history gives you the ick, plug your info into a financial app like Quicken Simplifi.—
Harlan Vaughn,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The people who've made it out are telling us horror stories of mass killings, of rape and pillage of women and families.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
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Vikings, for example, used the extra daylight to sneak in a longer pillage sesh.—
Corey Buhay,
Outside Online,
19 June 2025
Verb
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There’s also talk of US forces raiding nuclear sites deep inside Iran to retrieve worrisome nuclear material, amid heightened fears that it could be used by an angry and desperate Iranian regime to manufacture nuclear weapons.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
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Noem sent Bovino and his Border Patrol agents into Los Angeles last June, and viral social-media clips of agents raiding Home Depot parking lots soon followed.—
Nick Miroff,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacking. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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