RANSACK Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

ransack

verb

ˈran-ˌsak

Definition of ransack

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

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 tools were taken, the glovebox was ransacked and the passenger window was smashed. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2026 The local population took matters into their own hands, storming and ransacking a migrant camp. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026 Thieves ransacked Spain‘s Villena Museum, taking with them one of Europe’s most significant Bronze Age gold collections in a record four-minute heist on Thursday morning, the Guardian reported. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Neighbors say they're left shaken after an elderly couple was lured out of their home by thieves, who ransacked their house and stole from them. — Jermont Terry, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ransack

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransack

Verb

In the sixties, artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Peter Saul had plundered lowbrow visual culture for elemental materials.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
In fact, plundering England’s lower leagues is a rich source of unique goals, from Ballard’s spectacular effort to this cheeky one from Crewe Alexandra striker Josh March in their 1-0 League Two win over Northampton on Saturday.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of plunder

Verb

In October 2026, the disgraced ex-prince filed a lawsuit against the Thames Valley Police, who arrested him and searched his homes on his birthday.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 6 Oct. 2026
Think of these tools as a fast way to start searching rather than a guarantee that the first answer is correct.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of search

Verb

Sudan’s civil war, a conflict credibly described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has seen violence matched only by the belligerents’ rapacity in pillaging the country’s riches.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Most notable is how the Premier League’s most famous clubs increasingly pillage the internal market for reliable and proven talent, rather than taking bets on cheaper or further-flung bets from across the continent or beyond.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pillage

Verb

Soaker bathtubs, gas fireplaces, and sofas for curling up with a good book are found here, too.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of find

Verb

One of the Buddhas was looted more than 100 years ago from the Tianlongshan Grottoes, a temple complex in Shanxi Province.

— Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Last year, the museum returned fragments of a silk manuscript from China that dated to more than 2,000 years ago and had been looted from a tomb.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 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

Cyrus, who becomes an administrator of veterans’ benefits, leaves his sons such large sums that Charles (Mike Faist) concludes that the old man must have raided his agency’s funds.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
Eleven current and former Ford Heights officials are facing 79 felony charges after investigators raided the Village Hall on Thursday to execute a search warrant.

— Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of raid

Browse Nearby Words

ran riot

ransack

ransacked

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Style

“Ransack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransack. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ransack

verb

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