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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ransack
Some of the fighters along with civilians began ransacking his official residences.
—
Sophie Tanno, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024
The new Identity Check feature is similar to the excellent protection features Apple introduced earlier in the year, designed to prevent someone who has access to your passcode, for instance, from taking over your iPhone, changing your biometric data and then ransacking your digital life.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Indy couldn’t resist an expedition to retrieve a cat mummy in Siwa, and his absence led to their split, but that same artifact has attracted the notice of several parties, including a giant who ransacks the Marshall College museum, stealing it.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024
Protesters tore down posters of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani that adorned the embassy, while offices inside the building were ransacked, as seen in video published by The Associated Press.
—Carol E. Lee, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ransack 
Sophie Tanno, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024
The new Identity Check feature is similar to the excellent protection features Apple introduced earlier in the year, designed to prevent someone who has access to your passcode, for instance, from taking over your iPhone, changing your biometric data and then ransacking your digital life.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Indy couldn’t resist an expedition to retrieve a cat mummy in Siwa, and his absence led to their split, but that same artifact has attracted the notice of several parties, including a giant who ransacks the Marshall College museum, stealing it.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024
Protesters tore down posters of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani that adorned the embassy, while offices inside the building were ransacked, as seen in video published by The Associated Press.
—Carol E. Lee, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
Verb
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Fishing fleets hailing mostly from East Asia and Europe are plundering the southwest Indian Ocean, which spans from Kenya to the South African coast and includes Madagascar's waters.—
Sira Thierij,
NPR,
26 Dec. 2024
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All three were plundered by thieves in ancient and medieval times, so many of the items originally left are no longer there.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In October, 1985, Lammy watched the TV coverage of a riot that broke out on the Broadwater Farm Estate, a social-housing project two streets away from his house, when a Black woman died of heart failure after her apartment was searched by the police.—
Sam Knight,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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Authorities are searching for a man accused of stabbing an off-duty Atlanta police officer during a confrontation after a hit-and-run over the weekend.—
Landon Mion,
Fox News,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Her crew pillages the ship for any remaining resources, but their only reward for their betrayal of principles is some lamp oil and six bottles of brandy.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Jan. 2025
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Then, around 614-612 B.C., invaders from Babylonia (modern-day southern and central Iraq) and Media (modern-day western Iran) pillaged and burned the temple as the Assyrian Empire collapsed at the hands of its enemies.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Target is also where customers can find Tisdale's other Being Frenshe bodycare products.—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
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Dropbox helps filmmakers and creative teams find, organize, and secure all the files that are important to any project.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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He was not sacked in the game, and Washington was 3-for-4 on fourth-down conversion attempts.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
23 Jan. 2025
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Jalen Hurts has been sacked on 18 percent of pass plays.—
Michael Salfino,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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With the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas taking effect, aid convoys seemed to enter Gaza without issues, and no attempts at stealing or looting the aid were reported on Sunday or Monday, according to Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for the main U.N. agency that assists Palestinians.—
Hiba Yazbek,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
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Residents remain barred from certain parts of Los Angeles, as authorities work to bring back utilities (and worry about looting).—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The world is a stakeholder, not a bystander, and cannot remain silent as Brazil despoils this indispensable carbon sink, irreplaceable oxygen source, and precious repository of plant and animal life.—
Stewart Patrick,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Oct. 2021
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Meanwhile, human activity has imperiled biodiversity as people despoil lands and waters, introduce invasive species, and harvest natural resources unsustainably.—
Stewart Patrick,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Oct. 2021
Verb
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Next, a spate of inflation raided American pocketbooks.—
Ana Swanson,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
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Related Articles Grading The Week: CSU Rams, Jay Norvell got welcome transfer portal mojo, raiding Ohio State, Baylor after rough start to January Keeler: Sean Payton says Broncos would’ve beaten Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes in playoffs.—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
18 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ransack
Cite this Entry
“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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