verb

ransack

RAN-sak

verb

To search a place thoroughly and roughly, often leaving it in disorder.

"Burglars had ransacked the house looking for valuables."

"Soldiers ransacked the abandoned village for supplies."

How to Use Ransack

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo search somewhere roughly and thoroughly, usually leaving a mess, often while looking for something to steal.

Common pairings

ransack the house ransack a room thoroughly ransacked

Word Forms

ransacked past tense, ransack plural, ransacked plural, ransacks plural, ransacks singular, ransack singular, ransacked singular, ransackest singular, ransackedst singular, ransacketh singular

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Burglars had _____ the house looking for valuables.

Etymology

From Old Norse rannsaka, literally "to search a house" — from rann ("house") plus a word meaning "to seek."

Synonyms

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