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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Recent Examples of ransacking
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
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
The city of Los Angeles is about to raise property tax bills because thieves and vandals won’t stop ransacking the city’s infrastructure to steal copper wire.
—Susan Shelley, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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
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
The city of Los Angeles is about to raise property tax bills because thieves and vandals won’t stop ransacking the city’s infrastructure to steal copper wire.
—Susan Shelley, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacking
Noun
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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.—
Tom Page,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.—
Brett Whalen,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Despite a large scale evacuation affecting tens of thousands of residents across Garden Grove, Stanton and Anaheim, there have been no reports of looting after people fled their homes due to a chemical scare, officials said.—
Daniel Tedford,
Oc Register,
23 May 2026
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Israel is razing and looting homes and has vowed to prevent hundreds of thousands of residents, predominantly Shiites, though also members of other religious communities, from returning.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Rollins was still searching and discovering while on tour into his 80s.—
Don Heckman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
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Sophia said the event was just as exciting and fun as last year for her and her son — who, while searching for planes in the sky, excitedly grabbed her face and reminded her that the watermelons and lemonade were just as amazing as the planes.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2026
Noun
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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.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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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.—
Brandon Prins,
The Conversation,
14 July 2025
Verb
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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).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
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Giants linebacker Abdul Carter didn’t waste any time sacking his own quarterback.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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About 700 rescuers and nearly 200 police officers are combing the rubble, racing to reach survivors pinned beneath concrete and twisted steel.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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When her mother died in 2012, Hasbun inherited the gallery’s archives and began combing through them.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
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The people who've made it out are telling us horror stories of mass killings, of rape and pillage of women and families.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
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Vikings, for example, used the extra daylight to sneak in a longer pillage sesh.—
Corey Buhay,
Outside Online,
19 June 2025
Verb
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This represents one major leap in the direction of authoritarianism — the president directly raiding the public offers to enrich cronies, not just via his corrupt business dealings and pseudo-bribes from foreign governments, but straight up getting checks from the public treasury.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
28 May 2026
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This represents one major leap in the direction of authoritarianism — the president directly raiding the public coffers to enrich cronies, not just via his corrupt business dealings and pseudo-bribes from foreign governments, but straight up getting checks from the public treasury.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacking. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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