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
Protests intensified over the weekend, with rioters targeting the homes of lawmakers, ransacking and looting properties, and burning government buildings, according to media reports.
—
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
More than a thousand fires burned, and more than a thousand shops were ransacked.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Pitt's home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles was ransacked by burglars in June when, police said, three suspects broke into his through a front window after jumping over a fence to gain entry to the yard.
—Alex Stone, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
The demonstrations, some of the largest in American history, recalled the long hot summer of 1967, when protesters whose lives had only been meagerly improved by recent civil-rights legislation ransacked storefronts in Newark and Detroit.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
More than a thousand fires burned, and more than a thousand shops were ransacked.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Pitt's home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles was ransacked by burglars in June when, police said, three suspects broke into his through a front window after jumping over a fence to gain entry to the yard.
—Alex Stone, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
The demonstrations, some of the largest in American history, recalled the long hot summer of 1967, when protesters whose lives had only been meagerly improved by recent civil-rights legislation ransacked storefronts in Newark and Detroit.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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While plundering a dungeon lair and stealing artifacts from a museum both have heist elements to them, Skullduggery looks into the other intrigues of adventures in urban environments.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The towns of Harrisonville, Butler and Osceola were plundered during Bleeding Kansas.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Navy searched the area extensively, but after two weeks, Earhart and Noonan were declared lost at sea.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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Officers began searching the area and located a man inside a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds in the 8200 block of Holmes Road.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At the same time, members of the powerful Viv Ansanm gang coalition had pillaged and/or burned at least 410 residences and other buildings, including six schools, health centers and local nongovernmental organizations during the period.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
11 Aug. 2025
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After the Broncos’ frontmen pillaged San Francisco for the better part of two hours, Castle Rock native and 49er Christian McCaffrey stood in front of reporters and confirmed what Denver’s offense has known for a few months.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Drivers from outside of Finneytown, using GPS to find Dutch Bros, don't know alternate routes to the store.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
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Analyzing its grocery orders that included candy in 2024, Instacart found each state's Halloween candy preferences.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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United were profitable in each of the years in which Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho were sacked.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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And Bonitto planted suddenly, spinning back inside and leaving Mims in the dust to sack Browning.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group looted Heller Jewelers, located at the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping mall, on Monday afternoon and was armed with at least three guns, according to police.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
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Days after a criminal gang stormed this rural village in Haiti’s northwest, setting fire to the local police substation and looting homes, residents remain gripped by fear amid concerns that the violence isn’t over.—
Ychmuth Corneille,
Miami Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Gaddis was an obscure state employee who was fired from his job last summer after leaking details of a secret plot by the DeSantis administration to despoil nine pristine Florida state parks with golf courses, pickleball courts and resort-style lodges — all to benefit his wealthy friends.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 June 2025
Verb
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The singer has been vocal about foregoing tour stops in the US, citing fears that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would raid the concert venues.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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The episode sees Marge revisit her nostalgia for a Dawson's Creek-esque '90s teen drama as Lisa raids her mom's closet for vintage threads with the help of fashion-forward classmates Devin (Cole Escola) and Vidalia (Stephanie Hsu).—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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