1
as in to plunder
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 to search
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ransack
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
On the drive back to her dormitory, Daisy sees that the florist’s shop has been ransacked.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
The house was ransacked, signaling a struggle, and blood was on a rocking chair.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Like some ghastly old lag, ransacking the plans of a bank vault!
—Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Selina Guevara, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
On the drive back to her dormitory, Daisy sees that the florist’s shop has been ransacked.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
The house was ransacked, signaling a struggle, and blood was on a rocking chair.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Like some ghastly old lag, ransacking the plans of a bank vault!
—Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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Kyiv has long accused Russia of plundering these regions' resources.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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Five years after the Halifax Resolves were adopted, the British army briefly occupied the town and plundered its homes, according to the North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites and Properties.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the elderly on the island are forced to beg or search for food among the mountains of trash that block the streets.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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The volunteer dive team spent three years searching for the wreckage, eventually confirming its identity with the help of the Coast Guard Historians Office, which provided historical records, technical data and archival images of the ship's wheel, bell, deck fittings and weaponry.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Then Joe Biden and his corrupt administration comes along and makes matters worse, allowing thousands of criminals to enter our country illegally, pillaging Americans while being pampered in luxury hotels on our dime.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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North Texas — whose roster was pillaged in the portal and saw its top players leave for Oklahoma State alongside former head coach Eric Morris — have signed 42 transfers.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Arttu Hyry has been terrific since entering the lineup for Game 2, but his third line hasn’t found the back of the net.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Ease off the accelerator - Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hiring Liam Rosenior, sacked on Wednesday after just 107 days in charge, was a big error of judgement.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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John Franklin-Myers, who loved talking, sacking and eating Uncrustables, left as a free agent to the Titans.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As with Osterweil, who argued that white supremacy can render even violent looting a legitimate act, Piker and Tolentino suggest that certain crimes become not just morally justifiable but even admirable when coupled with a claim against structural injustice.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
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The 2025 Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, or HEAR Act, expands on a 2016 law, signed by President Barack Obama, that permits victims and descendants of victims of the Holocaust to lay legal claim to works of art looted by the Nazis or sold to the Nazis under false pretenses.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Verb
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The Miami Dolphins cleaned house this offseason, then raided the Packers’ to figure out their new direction.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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Douglas Hiatt, a longtime Seattle marijuana defense attorney, recalled the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and ’90s, when police regularly raided grow operations designed to support patients.—
Gene Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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