ransack

verb

ˈran-ˌsak How to pronounce ransack (audio)
Definition of ransacknext
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

Relevance
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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ransack Some people climbed a lifeguard tower, while others ran through traffic and ransacked stalls where artisans sold their goods, police said at the time. — Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 7 July 2026 After the Battle of the Alamo, the Mexican army ransacked the site and salvaged all the leftover artillery for future military use, ridding the battleground of most of its weaponry. — Amen Galinato, CNN Money, 25 June 2026 Officer Sean Lally told the court on Monday that the woman's room appeared ransacked and alleged that Jankauskas had broken a mirror and a bed. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026 On April 18, Fort Lauderdale officers were called to an Airbnb in the 1600 block of Northwest 16th Court after a group of women who had rented the home returned to find it in disarray, furniture flipped over, their belongings ransacked a man inside. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ransack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack
  1. plunder
  2. search
  3. pillage
  4. find
  5. sack
  6. loot
  7. despoil
  8. raid
Verb
  • In vivid strokes of saffron orange and seafoam green watercolors, Wilson rendered a vibrant portrait of herself plundering birthday cake by the handful as party guests languished around the frame.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026
  • As long as the contents of a container have not been plundered outright, they can even be delivered to the recipient after an accident, albeit with some delay.
    — Alexander Klose, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Definition of plunder
Verb
  • Authorities are searching for the driver of a van who struck a man in a wheelchair in Dania Beach and fled the scene, leaving the victim injured and his wheelchair damaged.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Right-wingers Manchester United have spent years searching for a long-term option on the right, and place three swings of the bat on this list.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of search
Verb
  • Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits.
    — Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • But Nolan also throws a meditative new wrinkle into the story, as Odysseus comes to grips with his role in the Trojan War, leading the charge as his men raped, murdered and pillaged in his name.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 July 2026
Definition of pillage
Verb
  • Going into November, an Associated Press analysis found that Wasserman Schultz is the only white Democrat positioned to represent any of the remaining districts with a Black majority or plurality.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • About one in three home sales in the Bay Area were all cash from April through June, Redfin found.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • After the third consecutive three-and-out ended with Young getting sacked, former Panther QB Jake Delhomme spoke for a lot of fans on the TV broadcast.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Cofnas was sacked by Cambridge in the wake of controversy caused by his comments.
    — Rupert Neate, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of sack
Verb
  • The drum topped a list of 148 objects that Côte d’Ivoire requested from France in 2019; the petition followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 pledge to return works of art looted in Africa during the colonial era.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles County deputies say that an AutoZone in East Los Angeles was found looted early Saturday morning, near the spot where a street takeover had taken place.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of loot
Verb
  • One looks to the story of the Haitian World Cup team, appearing in the tournament for the first time in fifty years, which has gathered expatriate players from the Haitian diaspora to play for that beautiful and utterly despoiled country, where many of them have never lived.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of despoil
Verb
  • Federal agents raided a Miami Gardens home this week and found a machine gun-making factory, along with homemade, automatic weapons and devices used to switch semiautomatic weapons to fully-automatic firearms, according to a criminal complaint.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026
  • It was raided in 2003 amid an investigation by police regarding the late musician’s relationship with a minor and molestation allegations.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of raid

Browse Nearby Words

ran riot
ransack
ransacked
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ransack

Nglish: Translation of ransack for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All