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
His New York estate was ransacked soon after, but his convictions were clear.
—
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield,
CBS News,
30 June 2026
After the Battle of the Alamo, the Mexican army ransacked the site and salvaged all the leftover artillery for future military use, ridding the battleground of most of its weaponry.
—
Amen Galinato,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Officer Sean Lally told the court on Monday that the woman's room appeared ransacked and alleged that Jankauskas had broken a mirror and a bed.
—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
On April 18, Fort Lauderdale officers were called to an Airbnb in the 1600 block of Northwest 16th Court after a group of women who had rented the home returned to find it in disarray, furniture flipped over, their belongings ransacked a man inside.
—
Angie Dimichele,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Entire ancient cities had been ransacked to the benefit of wealthy collectors and expansion-minded museum curators, who had profited from those works while the nation that had produced them starved.
—
Matthew Campbell,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Rubio said Cuba’s current crisis should be blamed on the military officials behind GAESA, which has ransacked the country’s revenue for their benefit, leaving most Cubans impoverished.
—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
On May 5, a person returned to their Westlake Village home and found that the house had been ransacked and multiple things had been stolen.
—
Fedor Zarkhin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
After John’s death in 1777, the British ransacked the Morton residence and Ann was forced to flee with her family across the Delaware River.
—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield,
CBS News,
30 June 2026
After the Battle of the Alamo, the Mexican army ransacked the site and salvaged all the leftover artillery for future military use, ridding the battleground of most of its weaponry.
—
Amen Galinato,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Officer Sean Lally told the court on Monday that the woman's room appeared ransacked and alleged that Jankauskas had broken a mirror and a bed.
—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
On April 18, Fort Lauderdale officers were called to an Airbnb in the 1600 block of Northwest 16th Court after a group of women who had rented the home returned to find it in disarray, furniture flipped over, their belongings ransacked a man inside.
—
Angie Dimichele,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Entire ancient cities had been ransacked to the benefit of wealthy collectors and expansion-minded museum curators, who had profited from those works while the nation that had produced them starved.
—
Matthew Campbell,
Bloomberg,
22 May 2026
Rubio said Cuba’s current crisis should be blamed on the military officials behind GAESA, which has ransacked the country’s revenue for their benefit, leaving most Cubans impoverished.
—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
On May 5, a person returned to their Westlake Village home and found that the house had been ransacked and multiple things had been stolen.
—
Fedor Zarkhin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
After John’s death in 1777, the British ransacked the Morton residence and Ann was forced to flee with her family across the Delaware River.
—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacked
Verb
-
The Stuttgart striker plundered two second-half goals, including a stoppage-time winner, to earn his side a place in the last 32.
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Which were left to be plundered and destroyed?
Verb
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Swimming was suspended while officials searched for sharks and other dangerous marine life.
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Her doctors searched for ways to manage her stress by exposing her to various activities, including video games, serene Icelandic landscapes and an aerial silks performance.
Verb
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Some have been looted, burned, and abandoned, while others face critical shortages of supplies, medicines, or staff.
-
The sandstone artifact, which depicts the Hindu epic character Duryodhana, had in fact been looted from Koh Ker in or around 1972, after the all-important UNESCO convention.
Verb
-
America, whose Constitution was formulated by white men, struggled to live up to its founding ideals in the days of slavery and displacement of Native Americans.
-
Dioz was co-founded by Johnny, 44, and his brother Tony in 2006.
Verb
-
One by one, from Rhode Island to Georgia, rioters in each colony pillaged collectors’ wine cellars, drank all their liquor and forced them to publicly resign.
-
For decades, tomb raiders have pillaged sites across the country, selling them on the black market.
Verb
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Kerr’s home in Florida was raided by the FBI on the same day.
-
Emilee Hackney is an eighth-generation Appalachian who grew up in the coalfields of southwest Virginia in a family so impoverished her parents occasionally raided her and her brother’s piggy banks to pay the mortgage and buy groceries.
Verb
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That came in the spring of 2025, about 11 months after his dad had been sacked as coach, when Pochettino, the new manager, gave the younger Berhalter his first national team call-up.
-
Alfaro had just been sacked by San Lorenzo, his eighth job in 14 years since starting as a 30-year-old following a brief playing career in Argentina.
Verb
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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.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Ransacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacked. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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