as in plundering
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1
as in looting
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
2
as in searching
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ransacking
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
In one case, Naqvi apparently tried to pin the ransacking of an apartment on an ex-boyfriend.
—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
—
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking.
—
Literary Hub,
18 Dec. 2025
The mere sight of the ransacking seems to quicken his speech.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Two men were arrested in connection with a series of high-end burglaries at the homes of affluent Southern Californians, including the ransacking of superstar Brad Pitt’s house, law enforcement sources said Monday.
—
Andrew Blankstein,
NBC news,
12 Aug. 2025
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Two burglars in East Hollywood got away with valuables after breaking into an apartment and ransacking it on Tuesday night.
—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
Authorities say burglars have hit multiple homes in rapid succession, ransacking properties and targeting valuables, while other incidents, including a commercial copper wire theft that led to a police chase, highlight what officials describe as increasingly bold and coordinated criminal activity.
—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
The suspects then began ransacking the home.
—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Guzman had previously been to court for both allegedly trying to set her father’s house on fire and ransacking a priest’s home — on the same day.
—
Selina Guevara,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
But Dead City fans have responded to cops raiding a concert by setting fires and ransacking a Metro train full of workers trying to get home.
—
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Like some ghastly old lag, ransacking the plans of a bank vault!
—
Literary Hub,
13 Apr. 2026
After busting down his door and ransacking his home, armed officers found neither drugs nor any signs of a kidnapping.
—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
What Trump has done to the Kennedy Center is nothing less than a full-scale ransacking.
—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
In one case, Naqvi apparently tried to pin the ransacking of an apartment on an ex-boyfriend.
—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
—
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking.
—
Literary Hub,
18 Dec. 2025
The mere sight of the ransacking seems to quicken his speech.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Two men were arrested in connection with a series of high-end burglaries at the homes of affluent Southern Californians, including the ransacking of superstar Brad Pitt’s house, law enforcement sources said Monday.
—
Andrew Blankstein,
NBC news,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Historical novelists are often charged with disrespect and unseriousness, of ransacking the archives for sensational scenery to hang behind their conventional family sagas and love stories.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Two burglars in East Hollywood got away with valuables after breaking into an apartment and ransacking it on Tuesday night.
—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
Authorities say burglars have hit multiple homes in rapid succession, ransacking properties and targeting valuables, while other incidents, including a commercial copper wire theft that led to a police chase, highlight what officials describe as increasingly bold and coordinated criminal activity.
—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
The suspects then began ransacking the home.
—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Guzman had previously been to court for both allegedly trying to set her father’s house on fire and ransacking a priest’s home — on the same day.
—
Selina Guevara,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
But Dead City fans have responded to cops raiding a concert by setting fires and ransacking a Metro train full of workers trying to get home.
—
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Like some ghastly old lag, ransacking the plans of a bank vault!
—
Literary Hub,
13 Apr. 2026
After busting down his door and ransacking his home, armed officers found neither drugs nor any signs of a kidnapping.
—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacking
Noun
-
Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.
-
Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.
Verb
-
Gordon worked with archeologists to match statues to specific sites that Toek Tik raided, mapping out looting networks.
-
Both were offered up by the same person, Marino Massimo De Caro, later convicted of looting an Italian library.
Verb
-
Haley Williams, a spokesperson for the police department, told the Idaho Statesman in a text message that officers are searching the area for the driver of the vehicle who fled the scene.
-
To better understand what drives a young person to commit these crimes, CNN spent months searching for prior offenders willing to speak about their experience.
Noun
-
Amid the pillaging of homes, Roman magistrates were likely sent to the city to prevent an anarchic type of existence, based on ancient literary sources the authors referenced in the study.
-
In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.
Verb
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The result was so emphatic that the Tunisian soccer federation acted fast, sacking manager Sabri Lamouchi just hours after.
-
Villa’s then sporting director Monchi reportedly attempting a straight swap of him for goalkeeper Emi Martinez last summer is a sacking offence (perhaps literally).
Verb
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Then a casual dig through an estate sale bin morphs into obsession, resulting in making bids at auctions, combing through the recesses of eBay or imploring friends in politics to snag you a piece.
-
Chenoweth dug deep for clues, combing through film from Walker’s younger days.
Noun
-
The people who've made it out are telling us horror stories of mass killings, of rape and pillage of women and families.
-
Vikings, for example, used the extra daylight to sneak in a longer pillage sesh.
Verb
-
Want to stop raiding the fridge every night before bed?
-
While our dreams of raiding Tay Tay’s closet will likely never come true, that won’t stop of from borrowing her style and shopping Swift’s favorite designer brands.
Cite this Entry
“Ransacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacking. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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