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
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Recent Examples of ransack
Tillis said the plaque may be displayed in the Senate's third-floor public gallery, one area that was ransacked by rioters.
—
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
She was immediately struck and restrained with zip ties on her hands and feet, and one of the men covered her mouth while the group ransacked the home, according to the affidavit.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
After the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by Antiochus, there was only enough oil in the jar to burn for a single day.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Following Prentice's death and burial in his mausoleum, Wicks' mother, Grace (Annie Hamilton), had ransacked the chapel searching for the diamond in her desperation to escape her life of shame and mistreatment at the church, but died in her pursuit of it.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
She was immediately struck and restrained with zip ties on her hands and feet, and one of the men covered her mouth while the group ransacked the home, according to the affidavit.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
After the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by Antiochus, there was only enough oil in the jar to burn for a single day.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Following Prentice's death and burial in his mausoleum, Wicks' mother, Grace (Annie Hamilton), had ransacked the chapel searching for the diamond in her desperation to escape her life of shame and mistreatment at the church, but died in her pursuit of it.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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Bainbridge wasn’t shy about plundering her personal life for material.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Last fall, copper thieves plundered about a dozen public streetlights over three city blocks, leaving their neighborhood in the dark.—
Gavin J. Quinton,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There’s an urge to reconnect with our heritage, and people are undertaking ancestry pilgrimages, combining boots-on-the-ground investigation into family trees and searching for documents in town halls, with discovering the places our ancestors used to call home.—
Alex Ledsom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching).—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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North Texas — whose roster was pillaged in the portal and saw its top players leave for Oklahoma State alongside former head coach Eric Morris — have signed 42 transfers.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Jan. 2026
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In a landscape of sequels and overly pillaged IP, the Stranger Things finale is finite and close-ended, the credits rolling once and for all.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Excavators digging at Sizewell C found 321 silver coins last year, dating back between 1036 and 1044.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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These recommendations are based, in part, on studies that have found higher relapse rates among those who stop taking the medication versus those who do not.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And for Frank at Tottenham, the frustration heard inside their stadium on Sunday was nothing new, with supporters calling for a head coach only appointed last summer to be sacked following defeat there to local rivals West Ham last month.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Young set career highs with 23 touchdowns and 3,011 passing yards and was also sacked 27 times, the lowest mark of his career.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rubio accused the Maduro government of looting Venezuela’s energy sector and diverting oil revenues to support Havana while ordinary Venezuelans faced fuel shortages, hunger and economic collapse despite the country’s vast oil reserves.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
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Buildings burned to the ground; businesses were looted.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Pakistan's security forces have raided two militant hideouts in the country's southwest, killing 41 insurgents in separate gun battles, the military said Friday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Should stylists raid the closets of every season’s costumes of Downton Abbey?—
Merle Ginsberg,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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