ransack
Americanverb (used with object)
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to search thoroughly or vigorously through (a house, receptacle, etc.).
They ransacked the house for the missing letter.
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to search through for plunder; pillage.
The enemy ransacked the entire town.
verb
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to search through every part of (a house, box, etc); examine thoroughly
-
to plunder; pillage
Other Word Forms
- ransacker noun
- unransacked adjective
Etymology
Origin of ransack
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English ransaken, from Old Norse rannsaka “to search, examine (for evidence of crime),” equivalent to rann “house” + saka, variant of sœkja “to search;” seek )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One baby ransacked her belongings, another clung to her for months as a surrogate mother.
Verres ransacked Sicily’s Greek temples and pillaged the homes of Roman citizens.
All but about six of the kibbutz’s 222 homes were invaded and ransacked.
In Pakistan, supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan attacked military installations and ransacked the home of a senior military officer in 2023 but failed to seize power from the well-organized and ruthless army.
A nonprofit that provides hot meals, coffee and clothing to homeless Southern Californians is struggling to recover after its supply trailer was ransacked.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
