Definition of ransack
transitive verb
1a : to search thoroughlyb : to examine closely and carefully
2 : to search through to commit robbery : plunder
ransacker
nounFrom the M-W Editors
ransack was our Word of the Day on 06/22/2013. Hear the podcast!
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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
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The man ransacked a room and stole gaming chips, Philippines National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa said early Friday.
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And when the results came in, oh my God, my computer and phone and everything were just completely ransacked.
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A vehicle’s interior was ransacked, and several items were stolen.
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The back door was damaged, and the residence had been ransacked.
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Attempted Theft •Someone entered an unlocked car parked in the 100 block of Iowa Street and damaged the ignition and ransacked the interior between 6 p.m. May 22 and 5:30 a.m. May 23.
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The resident discovered his bedroom ransacked and a 55-inch TV missing.
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All four upstairs bedrooms and two bathrooms had been ransacked, as had a first-floor office.
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By Friday evening Wired’s neighborhood Safeway Hostess display had been ransacked, with shoppers only leaving behind the apparently unloved lemon pies.
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."
Origin and Etymology of ransack
Middle English ransaken, from Old Norse rannsaka, from rann house + -saka (akin to Old English sēcan to seek) — more at seek
RANSACK Defined for English Language Learners
ransack
playDefinition of ransack for English Language Learners
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: to search (a place) for something in a way that causes disorder or damage
RANSACK Defined for Kids
ransack
playDefinition of ransack for Students
ransacked
;ransacking
: to search through in a way that causes disorder or damage Thieves ransacked the room.
Learn More about ransack
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See words that rhyme with ransack Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ransack Spanish Central: Translation of ransack Nglish: Translation of ransack for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ransack for Arabic speakers
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