RANSACKED Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

ransacked

verb

past tense of ransack

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

Relevance

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

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 ransacked 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 In the days after a group of South Florida friends were killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya, burglars ransacked the Coral Gables home of two of the dead, stealing more than $500,000 worth of artwork, jewelry and the couple’s cars, police say. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 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 Two months later, local media reported that at least a dozen people ransacked another of the company’s trains. — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 An extended statewide drought, hot and windy weather, and forests ransacked by pine beetles persist, making conditions ripe for fires. — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026 People close to Machado were tortured and questioned about her whereabouts, and state agents ransacked El Bejucal, searching for clues. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 Royal forces ransacked every ship that arrived at Alexandria, searching for scrolls. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ransacked

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
The class-action deal covers relatives of people who donated bodies between January 2018 and March 2023, amid uncertainty over which cadavers Lodge plundered before cremation or return to families.

— Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of plundered

Verb

For more than a decade, Goldring searched, hoped and prayed for a kidney while doing her best to live her life and prepare for her future.

— Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026
Fears of further flooding complicated recovery efforts, as authorities searched for people missing after floods struck the Himalayan border between Nepal and China.

— Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of searched

Verb

Police say the home was looted of items that included artwork, jewelry, electronics and business documents.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Russian forces have routinely looted Ukrainian cultural objects during the course of the war, which has been going on for over four years.

— News Desk, Artforum, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of looted

Verb

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
For decades, tomb raiders have pillaged sites across the country, selling them on the black market.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Definition of pillaged

Verb

Thieves on Thursday raided the Treasure of Villena -- one of the greatest Bronze Age gold collections -- at a museum in the Spanish city of Villena, taking most of the 50-plus mainly gold bracelets, bowls, bottles and other items on display.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Mundubile, who rejected the election result as neither free nor fair, had been in hiding since security forces raided his Lusaka home during the election period.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of raided

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 despoiled

Browse Nearby Words

ransack

ransacked

ransacker

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ransacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ransacked. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ransacked

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

apiary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes