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 At least 24 of the country’s 3,700 high schools have been set on fire or ransacked, according to France’s education minister. — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Oct. 2026 While the mob ransacked and burned the home, local police stood by and watched. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 The other incident involved the May 2019 ransacking in the Senate chamber. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 Abby’s jewelry was ransacked along with cash and gold from Andrew’s desk. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ransack

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack

Verb

As noted recently by Deadline, other Chinese AI models continue to plunder IP, including MiniMax H3, which generated videos that violated studio brand safety standards 55% of the time when an image was used in a prompt.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
But there is very little archaeological evidence available, given that many of the earliest Egyptian tombs were plundered and/or hastily excavated.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

But at sea, Spanish guarda costas (armed customs officials) pounced on British ships, allegedly searching for goods being smuggled in for sale.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026
Planning and workflow platforms already allow buyers to search inventory, map locations, analyze audiences, compare formats and manage campaigns.

— Denys Kanel, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of search

Verb

Shopkeepers who’ve found their livelihoods suddenly at stake wonder where the police were while groups looted and pillaged with impunity.

— Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of pillage

Verb

Yet the clubs from small markets with relatively low payrolls found ways to play the best baseball in each of their respective leagues this season en route to the World Series.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
Other organizations linked to Page, including Flu Lab LLC, One Aero, and Oceankind, were also incorporated in Delaware that month, after previously being in California, Rogelberg’s analysis of state filings found.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of find

Verb

After Miami scored in the second OT period, Omar Thornton sacked Daniels on first down, forced an incompletion on second down, got FSU to commit a false start and forced another incompletion to set up fourth and 21.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
He was sacked five times as Texas lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time since 2021.

— Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of sack

Verb

The interior ministry reported assaults on police, looting and damage to public buildings, saying there have been at least 272 arrests nationwide.

— Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
The young people set fire to electric hire bikes and looted at least one shop, a CNN producer on the ground witnessed.

— Elina Baudier Kim, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 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

In January, the FBI raided a Post reporter’s home, as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of mishandling sensitive national security information.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Authorities on Wednesday raided the headquarters of one of Turkey ’s few broadcasters not aligned with the government, and appointed a trustee manager to oversee the popular news channel as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 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 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ransack

verb

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