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
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
Much of the day resembled a game of cat-and-mouse between protesters and police, with flareups like in Rennes, the capital city of Brittany, northwest France, where a bus was ransacked and set on fire.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
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
More than a thousand fires burned, and more than a thousand shops were ransacked.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
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
Much of the day resembled a game of cat-and-mouse between protesters and police, with flareups like in Rennes, the capital city of Brittany, northwest France, where a bus was ransacked and set on fire.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
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
More than a thousand fires burned, and more than a thousand shops were ransacked.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 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
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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
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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
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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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About 1,000 people attended an event Monday night by Turning Point USA, the group Kirk founded, at the university’s Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
12 Nov. 2025
-
He’s collaborated with the company since it was founded in 2022.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 Nov. 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
Verb
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On Monday, the Marion County Board of Commissioners agreed to more than $3 million in combined payouts to three journalists and a former city councilor whose home was also raided.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
12 Nov. 2025
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Mack was initially arrested in April 2018, after federal authorities in March 2018 raided NXIVM headquarters near Albany.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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On the fumble, he was sacked for a loss of 14 yards in a crucial third-and-10 situation late in the first half.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
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In the February, he was sacked, and this time Perez said yes to the top job at Vallecas.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ransacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacked. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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