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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ransack
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—
Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
In 2011, after guests ransacked an Airbnb host’s home, the story exploded in the press and #RIPAirbnb began trending on social media.
—Christopher Dilella, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors said Tatara went back and forth from ransacking Czech’s camp and punching, kicking and hitting Czech with the cast iron skillet.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Feels like someone went in our home, ransacked our things.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
In 2011, after guests ransacked an Airbnb host’s home, the story exploded in the press and #RIPAirbnb began trending on social media.
—Christopher Dilella, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors said Tatara went back and forth from ransacking Czech’s camp and punching, kicking and hitting Czech with the cast iron skillet.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Feels like someone went in our home, ransacked our things.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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What’s the reward for being the most productively plundered of the mid-majors?—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
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Monster bamboo, bougainvillea, and banana plants crashed in from the roadside; a tin roof sagged under the weight of a gaggle of marabou storks; baboons plundered trash cans at a highway intersection.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The agency was seeking to search a strip club allegedly run by a criminal organization, according to a court document obtained by AP.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Despite being one of the league’s founding clubs, FCD is still searching for its first MLS Cup, a contrast to reigning champion Inter Miami, which lifted the trophy in just its eighth year of existence.—
Abraham Nudelstejer,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 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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Ukrainians, ever resilient, have found some ways to cope with the cold.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
24 Feb. 2026
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Worshippers arriving for the day's first prayers found the damage and a smoldering fire that spewed black smoke across the entrance of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, near Nablus, and stained the ornate doorway.—
AREF TUFAHA,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bass sacked Kristin Crowley a month after the January 2025 Palisades Fire, and her dismissal was followed by finger-pointing between the ex-chief and City Hall over the blaze's devastation and the fire department’s funding.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
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The Hurricanes could have two high picks in offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and sack artist Rueben Bain Jr.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In August 2024, students stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents, forcing her to flee into neighboring India and exile.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 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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Clark left the city in 2020, a year after the FBI raided City Hall as part of the criminal investigation related to the sham lawsuit.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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His former home and several other places are being raided.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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