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
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
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
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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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Police stopped the violence there that night, but more racist beatings and looting erupted downtown.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Verb
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This season, Sugar takes on a new missing persons case, searching for the older brother of an up-and-coming local boxer, while continuing his desperate hunt for his own missing sister.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Always searching, always growing, always going deeper, always chasing things outside his comfort zone.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
1 June 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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No one, perhaps, relishes the thought of combing through a credit report, shopping around for car insurance or parsing a bank statement.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
29 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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Even rural birds manage to find some human items, most likely by raiding farm bins or garages.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
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At 13-years-old, Blue Ivy Carter is already raiding one of the best closets in the game.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacking. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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