ransack

verb

ˈran-ˌsak How to pronounce ransack (audio)
Definition of ransacknext
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

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 But mostly that has been replaced with different games or drawings or pissing contests so that everyone doesn’t just ransack the house for the best room. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026 Four people were arrested after an AutoZone and a Spirit Halloween store were burglarized and ransacked in Downey on Monday morning. — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 But, rather than vandalizing the corporate website, or holding valuable data for ransom—actions typical of human hackers—the adversary began ransacking the company’s servers in search of an answer key for a list of test questions. — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Royal forces ransacked every ship that arrived at Alexandria, searching for scrolls. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
  1. plunder
  2. search
  3. pillage
  4. find
  5. sack
  6. loot
  7. despoil
  8. raid
Verb
  • In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The class-action deal covers relatives of people who donated bodies between January 2018 and March 2023, amid uncertainty over which cadavers Lodge plundered before cremation or return to families.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of plunder
Verb
  • Kathe Conlon, who is advocating for better 9/11 memorial care, helped search for victims on ground zero nearly 25 years ago.
    — Adi Guajardo, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In 2017, the watch retailed for between $2,350 and $2,520, and requires dedicated searching on watch sites.
    — Laurie Brookins, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of search
Verb
  • These targets include the personal business interests of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials, as well as the energy infrastructure that allows these leaders to pillage state revenues as a source of personal wealth.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits.
    — Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of pillage
Verb
  • Following a breakaway, Barbra Banda found Haley McCutcheon at the top of the box for the first-time finish and 1-0 lead in the third minute.
    — Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • While all of the women found their respective moment to shine, no one rose to the occasion quite like Luann de Lesseps, who seemingly decided on her own that Kyle’s white party would be the perfect backdrop for a cabaret performance like none other.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • Lee Johnson After I got sacked from Fleetwood Town in 2023, I was basically cancelled in a football sense.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Bladow was sacked four times in the first half, and Rand blocked a punt that bounced out of the end zone for a safety in the second quarter in a demonstrative 18-0 shutout for Chaminade in its home opener.
    — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of sack
Verb
  • But his house had been looted, his belongings, including two decades’ worth of journals, redistributed or destroyed.
    — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The drum topped a list of 148 objects that Côte d’Ivoire requested from France in 2019; the petition followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 pledge to return works of art looted in Africa during the colonial era.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of loot
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.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • 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.
    — Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Definition of despoil
Verb
  • That summer, Detroit was paralyzed by a violent uprising, which erupted after the city’s predominantly white police force raided a night club in a Black neighborhood.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Check it out… ‘Ruthless Podcast’ dives into Swalwell’s Fang Fang scandal and the FBI raiding his home.
    — , FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of raid

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ran riot
ransack
ransacked
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Cite this Entry

“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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