ransack
Americanverb (used with object)
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ransacks,
present (3rd person singular)
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ransacked,
past participle, past
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ransacking
present participle
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to search thoroughly or vigorously through (a house, receptacle, etc.).
They ransacked the house for the missing letter.
-
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
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to plunder; pillage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ransacksimple
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ransackssimple
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have ransackedperfect
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has ransackedperfect
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am ransackingprogressive
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are ransackingprogressive
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is ransackingprogressive
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have been ransackingperfect progressive
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has been ransackingperfect progressive
Past
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ransackedsimple
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had ransackedperfect
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was ransackingprogressive
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were ransackingprogressive
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had been ransackingperfect progressive
Future
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;” see seek)
Explanation
When you ransack, you rifle through things, steal some of them, and leave a huge mess behind. If neighborhood dogs got into a cupcake shop, they would probably ransack it. You can use the verb ransack to describe a careful search — you might ransack your backpack looking for your car keys, for example. Marauding armies, feral cats, burglars, and other troublemakers are often described as ransacking towns, rooms, gardens, or shops, especially if they take things and leave disarray in their wake. The word ransack comes from the Old Norse rannsaka, which has a similar meaning but is literally "search the house."
Vocabulary lists containing ransack
The Diary of Anne Frank
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"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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English Words Derived from Old Norse
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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.
See Examples For:
They’re merely following the lead of World Cup organizer FIFA, which is turning this upcoming three-nation showcase into an epic, All-American ransack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Overton’s 32 from 21 balls and Archer’s 17-ball 38 helped the visitors ransack 100 in the last 10 overs, including 21 off the final over.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2024
By that he meant the way representatives from other schools would surely try to lure his players away, using lucrative NIL offers to ransack his team through the transfer portal.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
He said he was worried thieves would ransack whatever belongings remained, and he now lives in his car.
From Reuters ● Sep. 8, 2023
I can’t leave the apartment again because Amá decided to ransack my room to make sure I didn’t have anything else that might be considered scandalous or immoral.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
McEwan ransacks recent U.K. history, telescoping its events into a demented counter-factual fantasia marked by insurrection and overflowing garbage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2019
That can be useful when scientists or wildlife managers must relocate an animal, such as a grizzly bear that ransacks campsites for food.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 13, 2019
During a peaceful evening at church, someone ransacks the family home and steals their beloved dog.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2018
The radical choreographer Elizabeth Streb has grown weary of meeting people who tell her, “Oh, you’re the one who ransacks the body and runs into walls.”
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 22, 2015
It ransacks the Hebrew mind, the Greek mind, the Roman mind, the Italian, French, German and English mind.
From Platform Monologues by T. G. (Thomas George) Tucker
Pharmacies, supermarkets and other businesses were ransacked, said residents, some of whom complained of the slow and meager post-quake aid coming from authorities.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
One baby ransacked her belongings, another clung to her for months as a surrogate mother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
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 ● Oct. 2, 2025
What to make of the Cherries now the defence that served them so well has been ransacked?
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
An Yi came in, leaned against a chest, and looked around the ransacked room.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
The pontiff responded by saying he had a "moral duty to speak out" against war -- and then sparked more headlines with a speech in Cameroon lambasting "tyrants" ransacking the world.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
As a housemate, he was catastrophic—overturning wastebaskets, ransacking drawers and drenching manuscripts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
On 13 July 2022, in dramatic scenes that were broadcast around the world, crowds overran the presidential palace, jumping into the swimming pool and ransacking the house.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024
A Los Angeles city councilmember is calling for more police officers and resources following the latest in a string of robberies and ransacking at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2024
I began ransacking the house and while overturning the torn straw mattress I found a pair of old, rusted keys in one of the holes.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
