1
as in plundered
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 searched
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 ransacked
Tillis said the plaque may be displayed in the Senate's third-floor public gallery, one area that was ransacked by rioters.
—
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
According to a Mercury News report from the time, the neighbor called for help, and was soon joined by another resident who described the apartment as having been ransacked.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
She was immediately struck and restrained with zip ties on her hands and feet, and one of the men covered her mouth while the group ransacked the home, according to the affidavit.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
After the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by Antiochus, there was only enough oil in the jar to burn for a single day.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Hours after thieves launched a brazen heist at the Louvre in Paris, another French museum was ransacked.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The prosecution said Hernandez hit Murray's wife and bound her with duct tape in the kitchen and Zuazo ransacked the house.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
According to the outlet, a burglar ransacked the property after smashing a glass door to get in while the couple were not at home.
—Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Police reported at the time that the place had been ransacked, but fortunately, neither of the stars were home at the time of the incident.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
According to a Mercury News report from the time, the neighbor called for help, and was soon joined by another resident who described the apartment as having been ransacked.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
She was immediately struck and restrained with zip ties on her hands and feet, and one of the men covered her mouth while the group ransacked the home, according to the affidavit.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
After the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by Antiochus, there was only enough oil in the jar to burn for a single day.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Hours after thieves launched a brazen heist at the Louvre in Paris, another French museum was ransacked.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The prosecution said Hernandez hit Murray's wife and bound her with duct tape in the kitchen and Zuazo ransacked the house.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
According to the outlet, a burglar ransacked the property after smashing a glass door to get in while the couple were not at home.
—Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Police reported at the time that the place had been ransacked, but fortunately, neither of the stars were home at the time of the incident.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacked
Verb
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Pahlavi ruled from 1941 to 1979, when the Islamic Revolution ousted him amid allegations of repression and accusations that the pro-Western longtime ruler had plundered his nation’s treasury.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Abroad, America’s élite soldiers killed and plundered.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Officers searched the home, but Melodee was nowhere to be found.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Detective Jeremiah Hanson reached out to the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, a group of nine states that shared law-enforcement data, and asked for a historical record of every time someone had searched Ryan’s name—during a traffic stop, for example.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Ohio Anti-Slavery Society’s 1835 report told of a Black family whose home had been broken into and looted the year before.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
California museum’s collection looted Police are investigating the theft of more than 1,000 items taken from the Oakland Museum of California.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, former Federal Air Marshal Peter Johnson — who founded Archway Defense, which has trained state, local and federal law enforcement in firearms for the past decade — told WCCO the street is not the place to challenge a federal agent's orders.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The OpenSnow reporting and forecasting service is predicting four to eight additional inches at many resorts between Wednesday evening and Friday morning, although founding meteorologist Joel Gratz acknowledged that the weather models for this system have been a bit confounding.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Many prehistoric structures were pillaged for rock, but a remarkable number are intact.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Prosecutors said that in December 2024, Mexican authorities raided multiple fentanyl production labs across Sinaloa that were allegedly controlled by the father and son and made the world’s largest ever fentanyl seizure, which totaled more than 3,300 pounds of the ultra-potent drug.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Getting their roster raided by Power 4 conference programs, including the one where their former coach is now running the show.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Maye was strip-sacked by Odafe Oweh while in Chargers territory to keep it a three-point game in the third quarter.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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But Odafe Oweh strip sacked New England quarterback Drake Maye, and the Chargers recovered.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacked. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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