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
Once targets were identified, prosecutors said the group broke into homes, sometimes cutting power beforehand before ransacking them.
—
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Seemingly half of the testers in the gondolas (Sephora-speak for brand shelving) at their Beverly Hills location looked like they had been ransacked by zombies.
—Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
Someone had entered through her bathroom window, the only one in the house without an alarm, and ransacked the place.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
With drum circles, ransacked guest rooms and theatrical confrontations staged across sandy paths and candlelit dinners, guests become active participants in the drama.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Seemingly half of the testers in the gondolas (Sephora-speak for brand shelving) at their Beverly Hills location looked like they had been ransacked by zombies.
—Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
Someone had entered through her bathroom window, the only one in the house without an alarm, and ransacked the place.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
With drum circles, ransacked guest rooms and theatrical confrontations staged across sandy paths and candlelit dinners, guests become active participants in the drama.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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The collapse of Prospect Medical, a for-profit hospital chain plundered by private equity and the company’s management, has generated a painful litany of woes.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
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But the sea lies in a region of the Golden State where there are already numerous environmental concerns, and some residents worry that plundering for lithium could exacerbate the problem.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Together, these two superb artists make much of Yarris constantly seeking the light, as Yarris searches for a way forward from the blackness of death row.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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At a time when many are searching for hope, the mission behind the race feels especially timely.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 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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After Judith’s husband Kobi found that issue of Life magazine in 1981, she and her brother were stunned to learn the extent of their father’s heroism.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
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The sheriff's office said possible human trafficking victims were identified and evidence of prostitution was found at Eva Massage on Cross Timbers Road and Sun Massage on Flower Mound Road.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Twenty-four years earlier, Lucescu won the Turkish Super Lig with another of that city’s clubs, Galatasaray, but was sacked at the end of the season.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
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His last year was his best, though he was sacked 36 times.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The commercial district stands gutted, looted and torched.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
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The only time the family has been looted was in 2025, when a bear came into the yard and upturned the beehives.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 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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The company had its offices raided and several bank accounts frozen, according to Malaysian business publication The Edge.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Separately, police in Moscow raided the offices of the prominent independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose chief editor Dmitry Muratov was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2021.—
Dasha Litvinova,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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