Definition of ransack
transitive verb
1a : to search thoroughlyb : to examine closely and carefully
2 : to search through to commit robbery : plunder
ransacker
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
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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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Between June 29 at 9 p.m. and June 30 at 8 a.m. Vehicle parked in front of a residence ransacked; nothing stolen.
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The duo demanded money from her, then ransacked the apartment on Sirocco Lane, south of Adobe Falls Road.
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St. Aidan established a monastery on the island in 635 A.D, which became an international center for learning and craftsmanship before it was ransacked by Viking raiders in the late 8th Century.
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Fouad Dagoum fled Sudan after his village was ransacked by militia members who captured, detained and tortured him until his body was limp.
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LOS ANGELES — Fouad Dagoum fled Sudan after his village was ransacked by militia members who captured, detained and tortured him until his body was limp.
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On May 6, the Prospect Park home of a husband and wife who own a nail salon in Delaware County was ransacked, Walker said.
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Meanwhile, the Sentinel reports, a nearby resident returning home discovered his residence had been broken into and ransacked.
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Earlier models looked like they were created by ransacking a parts bin and throwing it all together with someone’s discarded tooling.
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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