ransack

verb ran·sack \ ˈran-ˌsak , (ˌ)ran-ˈsak \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: ransack in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of ransack

ransacked; ransacking; ransacks

transitive verb

1 : to look through thoroughly in often a rough way

… he and 15 staff members watched agents ransack the office.
—Christian Caryl et al.

In desperation, I ransacked my refrigerator for something else to whip up.
—Dana Bowen

(figurative) Most novelists ransack their lives for that first novel; it might be called involuntary reporting.
—Tom Wolfe

2 : to search through and steal from in a forceful and damaging way : plunder

Thieves ransacked the house.

Louis XVI was persuaded to risk a navy far from its own shores and to ransack the French arsenals for arms and ammunition …
—C. P. Reynolds

—

ransacker

noun

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Examples of ransack in a Sentence

Robbers ransacked the apartment looking for money.
The room had been ransacked.

Recent Examples of ransack from the Web

This was a fantasy even in Virgil's day – in Virgil's own memory, Rome had been ransacked three times.

— steve donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Rome' tells the story of the Eternal City through seven moments of defeat," 1 June 2018
They are also said to have ransacked the place, leaving several squad members, including Bas Dost, nursing injuries ahead of Sunday's Taca de Portugal final against Aves.

— SI.com, "PHOTOS: Sporting Players Injured After 50 Hooded Fans Attack Squad and Trash Training Ground," 15 May 2018
The vehicle had been ransacked and a black leather bag and wallet, containing a driver's license, cash and bank cards had been taken from inside.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "Crime Report: Vehicle possibly related to earlier home break-in evades capture during pursuit," 23 May 2018
La Follette’s Senate office had also been ransacked and Wheeler was indicted in Montana on a bogus influence-peddling charge that was soon thrown out.

— kevin baker, The New Republic, "Why America needs truth and reconciliation after Trump," 17 May 2018
The man ransacked the house and dug through multiple cabinets and drawers.

— jeff rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Glendale man whose house was broken into in broad daylight says burglar 'messed with the wrong house'," 10 May 2018
Several rooms were ransacked and various items including jewelry were taken.

— alexandra kukulka, chicagotribune.com, "Police: Woman kicked employee as she tried to leave Northbrook grocery store without paying," 17 Apr. 2018
He was reported missing Sept. 12, 2016, by a relative who told San Antonio police that Barrera’s apartment appeared to have been ransacked.

— elizabeth zavala, San Antonio Express-News, "Trial begins for San Antonio man accused of killing brother, burying him on Padre Island," 1 May 2018
Burglary Someone forced open rear door of a home in the 3100 block of 77th Avenue and ransacked two bedrooms on April 18.

— deborah kadin, chicagotribune.com, "Police reports: Profanity, obscene pictures drawn in cement at park in Elmwood Park," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ransack.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Ransack carries the image of a house being torn out of order, as might happen when you are frantically searching for something. This is appropriate given the word's origin. Ransack derives via Middle English from Old Norse "rannsaka"; the "rann" in rannsaka means "house." The second half of "rannsaka" is related to an Old English word, secan, meaning "to seek." But our modern use of the word isn't restricted to houses. You can ransack a drawer, a suitcase, or even the contents of a book (for information). A now-obsolete frequentative form of "ransack," "ransackle," gave us our adjective "ramshackle."