RANSACK Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

ransack

verb

ˈran-ˌsak

Definition of ransack

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

Relevance

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ransack The local population took matters into their own hands, storming and ransacking a migrant camp. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026 Thieves ransacked Spain‘s Villena Museum, taking with them one of Europe’s most significant Bronze Age gold collections in a record four-minute heist on Thursday morning, the Guardian reported. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 In the days after a group of South Florida friends were killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya, burglars ransacked the Coral Gables home of two of the dead, stealing more than $500,000 worth of artwork, jewelry and the couple’s cars, police say. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026 Neighbors say they're left shaken after an elderly couple was lured out of their home by thieves, who ransacked their house and stole from them. — Jermont Terry, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ransack

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack

Verb

In the sixties, artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Peter Saul had plundered lowbrow visual culture for elemental materials.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

In the case of the Ratepayer Protection Act, Republicans were searching for an answer to Democratic attacks on data centers and the higher energy prices consumers fear will come from their construction.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
The letter also points to reports on statements from officials such as FBI Director Kash Patel, who claimed at the time that the shooter had searched for apps that tracked ICE agents’ locations.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of search

Verb

Sudan’s civil war, a conflict credibly described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has seen violence matched only by the belligerents’ rapacity in pillaging the country’s riches.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Most notable is how the Premier League’s most famous clubs increasingly pillage the internal market for reliable and proven talent, rather than taking bets on cheaper or further-flung bets from across the continent or beyond.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pillage

Verb

The house’s lawyers maintained in court that the heirs’ consent was gained through Mondex Corporation, which specializes in the recovery of art and other assets looted during World War II, reports TAN.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Last year, the museum returned fragments of a silk manuscript from China that dated to more than 2,000 years ago and had been looted from a tomb.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of loot

Verb

One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
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

Definition of despoil

Verb

Eleven current and former Ford Heights officials are facing 79 felony charges after investigators raided the Village Hall on Thursday to execute a search warrant.

— Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
In 2008 the government raided the FLDS’s Yearning for Zion compound near Eldorado, Texas.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of raid

Browse Nearby Words

ran riot

ransack

ransacked

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“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ransack

verb

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