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 But mostly that has been replaced with different games or drawings or pissing contests so that everyone doesn’t just ransack the house for the best room. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026 Four people were arrested after an AutoZone and a Spirit Halloween store were burglarized and ransacked in Downey on Monday morning. — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 But, rather than vandalizing the corporate website, or holding valuable data for ransom—actions typical of human hackers—the adversary began ransacking the company’s servers in search of an answer key for a list of test questions. — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Royal forces ransacked every ship that arrived at Alexandria, searching for scrolls. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ransack

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack

Verb

In vivid strokes of saffron orange and seafoam green watercolors, Wilson rendered a vibrant portrait of herself plundering birthday cake by the handful as party guests languished around the frame.

— Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026
As long as the contents of a container have not been plundered outright, they can even be delivered to the recipient after an accident, albeit with some delay.

— Alexander Klose, Scientific American, 24 July 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

Kathe Conlon, who is advocating for better 9/11 memorial care, helped search for victims on ground zero nearly 25 years ago.

— Adi Guajardo, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
In 2017, the watch retailed for between $2,350 and $2,520, and requires dedicated searching on watch sites.

— Laurie Brookins, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of search

Verb

These targets include the personal business interests of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials, as well as the energy infrastructure that allows these leaders to pillage state revenues as a source of personal wealth.

— Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2026
Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits.

— Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of pillage

Verb

Going into November, an Associated Press analysis found that Wasserman Schultz is the only white Democrat positioned to represent any of the remaining districts with a Black majority or plurality.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
About one in three home sales in the Bay Area were all cash from April through June, Redfin found.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of find

Verb

After the third consecutive three-and-out ended with Young getting sacked, former Panther QB Jake Delhomme spoke for a lot of fans on the TV broadcast.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Aug. 2026
Cofnas was sacked by Cambridge in the wake of controversy caused by his comments.

— Rupert Neate, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of sack

Verb

But his house had been looted, his belongings, including two decades’ worth of journals, redistributed or destroyed.

— Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
The drum topped a list of 148 objects that Côte d’Ivoire requested from France in 2019; the petition followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 pledge to return works of art looted in Africa during the colonial era.

— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 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

Federal agents raided a Miami Gardens home this week and found a machine gun-making factory, along with homemade, automatic weapons and devices used to switch semiautomatic weapons to fully-automatic firearms, according to a criminal complaint.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026
It was raided in 2003 amid an investigation by police regarding the late musician’s relationship with a minor and molestation allegations.

— Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 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 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ransack

verb

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