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
In 2011, thieves ransacked the Yangs’ house, hunting for their property deed.
—
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
After a treacherous night in which Daryl had to remove a piece of metal from Carol’s shoulder and the boat was ransacked by equestrians in bull-horn masks, the twosome put the walking back in The Walking Dead.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 7 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
After a treacherous night in which Daryl had to remove a piece of metal from Carol’s shoulder and the boat was ransacked by equestrians in bull-horn masks, the twosome put the walking back in The Walking Dead.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 7 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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The servants of this democratic republic’s machinery are, in truth, nothing but members of a mafia set up to plunder the island’s riches—and the West is complicit, with its own interests in the riches underground, in the ocean, from the soil.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Oct. 2025
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The 18 runs plundered off one over was the most Jasprit Bumrah had ever conceded in Tests, leaving the bowler perplexed as he was replaced.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Salee and Sprinker's bodies were found weighted down in a nearby river in May 1969, the same month Brudos' home was searched following a tip from a college student.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
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OpenAI appears to be trying to position ChatGPT as a version of this universal interface, not through a browser, but by integrating third-party apps directly into the chatbot so users can search, shop, plan travel, and manage files without ever leaving the conversation.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 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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The factors that influence GDP growth are labor and productivity, and the Gulf already has an edge in finding workers — both expats and a young local population.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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The team found that actual methane and nitrous oxide emissions from these facilities were far higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His uncles got sacked, picked off, hit in the mouth, too; both of them got up to ultimately win.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Oct. 2025
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Phillips sacked Rodgers, a key play in the fourth quarter of a close game.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The angry mob looted the homes of customs agents, harassed those agents’ families, and even burned a small pleasure boat belonging to one unfortunate tax collector on the Common.—
Time,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
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This is the most North Korean hackers have ever looted in a single year, according to blockchain tracking firm Elliptic.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
7 Oct. 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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Elsewhere during Last Week Tonight, Oliver discussed the prevalence of grassroots pushback toward ICE agents who show up to raid and disturb neighborhoods.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
5 Oct. 2025
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The list of items that authorities found when his house was raided in 1957 is pure nightmare fuel, including a wastebasket made of human skin, bowls made from skulls, a belt made of nipples, a lampshade created from a human face, and nine vulvas in a shoebox.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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