1
as in plundered
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 searched
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
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Recent Examples of ransacked
Others ransacked the presidential palace and residence with Assad and other top officials gone.
—
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after apparently having been abandoned.
—Abdulrahman Shaheen and Abby Sewell, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024
Thousands of people assembled at the foot of the main square in Damascus, where rebels ransacked Assad’s residence.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Others ransacked the presidential palace after Assad vanished.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024
The cathedral was ransacked by rioting Huguenots and remodeled by Louis XIV, who found its Gothicism old fashioned.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Having launched their west coast tour the night before with a show at San Francisco’s Kilowatt, the band’s brief stop was interrupted by an onlooker alerting them that their tour van was being ransacked and robbed.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 4 Dec. 2024
After the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by Antiochus, there was only enough oil in the jar to burn for a single day.
—Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
In September, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley’s Minnesota home was broken into and ransacked, with jewelry being listed among the items stolen.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after apparently having been abandoned.
—Abdulrahman Shaheen and Abby Sewell, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024
Thousands of people assembled at the foot of the main square in Damascus, where rebels ransacked Assad’s residence.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Others ransacked the presidential palace after Assad vanished.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024
The cathedral was ransacked by rioting Huguenots and remodeled by Louis XIV, who found its Gothicism old fashioned.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Having launched their west coast tour the night before with a show at San Francisco’s Kilowatt, the band’s brief stop was interrupted by an onlooker alerting them that their tour van was being ransacked and robbed.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 4 Dec. 2024
After the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by Antiochus, there was only enough oil in the jar to burn for a single day.
—Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
In September, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley’s Minnesota home was broken into and ransacked, with jewelry being listed among the items stolen.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacked
Verb
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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
-
Along with thousands of others, these artifacts were plundered by French colonial troops in 1892.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
After recapturing Jerusalem’s Holy Temple, which had been converted into a place of idol worship, the website says, the Maccabees searched for pure oil with which to light the Temple menorah.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Detroit Free Press,
24 Dec. 2024
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The class of 2024 eagerly searched for jobs in Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte and Dallas — cities that aren’t as large or expensive as New York and San Francisco.—
Christine Y. Cruzvergara,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Archaeologists found the wooden coffin and Ramses’ mummy in a hiding place at the Deir el-Bahari temple complex in 1881, but the alabaster and granite sarcophagi were missing, likely looted by ancient tomb robbers.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Dec. 2024
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The theft was indicative of a disheartening trend unfolding across the United States; other Nativity scenes had been looted that year, including displays in Tennessee, West Virginia and Minnesota.—
John Otis,
New York Times,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Alon-Lee Green, the founding co-director of Standing Together, a progressive grassroots movement, told CNN that young people aren’t at fault for the extremist attitudes that are dividing wider Israeli society.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
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That policy was targeted last year in a letter sent to Disney’s top brass by America First Legal Foundation, a conservative group founded by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Israeli forces previously raided Kamal Adwan in October and stormed the Indonesian Hospital earlier this week, forcing its evacuation.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ransacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacked. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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