Word.ws English Dictionary

ransack

Syllables: ran·sack/ˈɹænsæk/

ransack verb: to search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.

Verb

ransack (third-person singular simple present ransacks, present participle ransacking, simple past and past participle ransacked)

  1. (transitive) To search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.
    • What a ſorowe hath it been to ſome of vs when the deuils hath in deſpightfull mockage, caſt in our teeth our olde loue borne to our money, and then ſhewed vs our executours as buſily ryfling ⁊ ranſaking our houſes as though they wer men of warre that had taken a towne by force.1529 (date written), Thomas More, “The Supplication of Soules […]”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly...
    • He hath ranſaked all the chyſtes I haue for his beades: […]1530 July 28 (Gregorian calendar), Iohan Palsgraue [i.e., John Palsgrave], “The Table of Verbes”, in Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse⸝ […], [London]: […] [Richard Pynson] fynnysshed by Iohan...
    Synonyms:
    rifle
  2. (transitive) To search (someone or a place) thoroughly in order to steal something, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray; hence, to rob (someone or a place); to plunder.
    • to ransack a house for valuables
    • If they thought howe ſoone in what painefull plight they ſhall lye a dying, while theyr executours afore their face ranſake vp theyr ſackes, they woulde I wene ſhortly empty theyr ſackes themſelues.c. 1522 (date written), Thomas More, “A Treatyce (Vnfynyshed) vppon These Wordes of Holye Scrypture, Memorare Nouissima, & Ineternum non Peccabis, Remember the Last Thynges, and Thou shalt Neuer...
    Synonyms:
    loot, pillage, rifle, sack
  3. (transitive, chiefly passive voice) To search for and steal (something) as plunder.
    • VVith greedy force he gan the fort aſſayle, / VVhereof he vveend poſſeſſe ſoone to bee, / And vvin rich ſpoile of ranſackt chaſtitee.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 5, pages 76–77
  4. (archaic, figuratively, transitive) To examine (someone or something) carefully; to investigate; also, to question (someone) thoroughly; to interrogate.
    • […] I purpoſe not in any open engliſh booke to ranſake and rebuke eyther the tone [the one] lawe, or the tother: I ſhall let him with that matter alone.1533 (date written), Thomas More, “The Apology of Syr Thomas More Knight, Made by Hym .Anno. 1533. after that He had Geuen ouer Thoffice of Lord Chauncellour of Englande. Chapter XLIJ.”, in Wyllyam...
    • And like an angry Judge reſolved to condemn, thou ranſackeſt all my life, and paſſeſt an heavie ſentence upon me for ſinnes long ſince committed,[…].1657, Dr. Gouge [William Gouge?; et al.], “Annotations on the Book of Job. [Chap[ter] XIII.]”, in Annotations upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament: […], 3rd edition, London: […] Evan...
  5. (obsolete, transitive) To look for or seek out (someone).
    • I'le call ye to Accompt, and if ye bauke me, then / I ranſake ye out, and make ye underſtand / The ſharp-nail'd language of Quiſquilla's hand.a. 1645 (date written), Fra[ncis] Quarles, The Virgin Widow. A Comedie, London: […] R[ichard] Royston, […], published 1649, →OCLC, Act II, page 33
  6. (obsolete, transitive) To search (someone) for a thing.
  7. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) Synonym of penetrate (“to make way into the interior of (something); to pierce”); also, synonym of pervade (“to enter and spread through (something); to permeate”).
    • [D]epe wͭ dynt the ſword enforced furſt / had ranſakt through his ribs ⁊ ſwete whyte breſt at once had burſt.1560 April 13 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Virgil, “The Nynth Boke”, in Thomas Phaer, transl., The Nyne Fyrst Bookes of the Eneidos of Virgil Converted into Englishe Vearse […], with So Muche...
    • [H]e vvas forſt at laſt, / To yield himſelfe vnto the mightie ill: / VVhich as a victour proud, gan ranſack faſt / His invvard partes, and all his entrayles vvaſt, […]1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 48, page 475
    Synonyms:
    penetrate
  8. (intransitive) To search thoroughly, especially when leaving behind a state of disarray.
    • Then euery chriſtian ſought amongſt vs for his frende, / His kinſman or companion ſome ſuccour them to lende: / And as they ranſackte ſo, lo God his will it was, / A noble wyſe Venetian by me did chaunce to paſſe: […]1573, George Gascoigne, “Gascoignes Deuise of a Maske for the Right Honorable Viscount Mountacute [Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu?], […]”, in A Hundreth Sundrie Flowres Bounde up in One Small...
    • [W]e rive / Our Mother Earth; and, not contented vvith / Th' abundant gifts ſhe outvvard offereth, / VVith ſacrilegious Tools vve rudely rend her, / And ranſak deeply in her boſom tender, / VVhile vnder ground vvee live in hourly fear / VVhen the frail Mines ſhall over-vvhelm vs there: […]1608, [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “[Du Bartas His First Week, or Birth of the World: […].] The Fift Daie of the First Week.”, in Josuah Sylvester, transl., Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and...
  9. (archaic, intransitive) To search for and steal things.

Noun

ransack (plural ransacks)

  1. Synonym of ransacking (“an act of ransacking (“searching thoroughly (in order to steal); etc.”) someone or something; an eager search”).
    • And euermore their vvicked Capitayn / Prouoked them the breaches to aſſay, / Somtimes vvith threats, ſomtimes vvith hope of gayn, / VVhich by the ranſack of that peece they ſhould attayn.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 351
    • VVhat ſecret corner? VVhat unvvonted vvay / Has ſcap'd the ranſack of my rambling thoughts?1635, Fra[ncis] Quarles, “Canto XII. Cant[icle of Canticles] III. III.”, in Emblemes, London: […] G[eorge] M[iller] and sold at at Iohn Marriots shope […], →OCLC, book IV, stanza 1, page 229
    Synonyms:
    ransacking

ransack meaning in Malayalam, Kannada and Tagalog

ransack in Malayalam

സൂക്ഷ്മപരിശോധനചെയ്യുക, സാധനങ്ങൾ വലിച്ചുവാരിയിട്ട് തിരയുക, കൊള്ളയിടുക

ransack in Kannada

ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ತಪಾಸಣೆಮಾಡು, ಮೂಲೆ ಮೂಲೆಯನ್ನು ಶೋಧಿಸು, ಪೂರ್ತಿಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸು, ಆಮೂಲಾಗ್ರವಾಗಿ ಹುಡುಕು, ಆಮೂಲಾಗ್ರವಾಗಿ ಬೆದಕು, ಲೂಟಿಮಾಡು

ransack in Tagalog

1.1. (''transitive'') to search thoroughly
halungkat, halughog
1.2. (''transitive'') to search in order to steal
dambong, kulimbat

Examples of ransack in a sentence

  • She [a hen] scratches, ransacks up the earth for food, / Which they [chicks] partake at pleasure.1799–1805 (date written), William Wordsworth, “Book V. Books.”, in The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet’s Mind; an Autobiographical Poem...
  • VVhy, raiſing Tumults thus among the Just, / Offer'ſt thou Violence to my ſacred Duſt? / VVhy ranſackeſt my Grave? and ſummon'ſt me / From my Long Home, Seat of Eternitie?1689, [Charles Goodall], “To the Ingenious Mr. Barker. Saul’s Witch of Endor.”, in Poems and Translations, Written upon Several Occasions...
  • Here Aguirre took up his lodging, and here he kept his men ready for battle, till the night came on, […] then he permitted them to ransack the town.1821, Robert Southey, “Preparations of the Governor of Venezuela—Aguirre’s Letter to the King—Desertion of His Men—His Death”, in The...
  • You ransacked my hotel, captured my staff with that strange vacuum of yours … And to top it all off, you catnapped my sweetie, my little darling … My precious Polterkitty!2019 October 30, Next Level Games, Luigi’s Mansion 3, v1.4.0, Nintendo, level/area: Main Observation Room (15F: Master Suite):

All 10 example sentences with ransack

Synonyms of ransack

All synonyms of ransack

Forms of ransack

Verb
third-person singular presentransacks
present participleransacking
past participleransacked
pastransacked
second-person singular present (archaic)ransackest
second-person singular past (archaic)ransackedst
third-person singular present (archaic)ransacketh
Noun
pluralransacks

Past tense of ransack: ransacked

Origin of ransack

The verb is derived from Middle English ransaken (“to examine, investigate; to rob, plunder, steal; to search, seek; to treat roughly, mistreat”), from Old Norse rannsaka (“to search a house (especially for stolen goods)”), from rann (“house”) (from Proto-Germanic *razną (“dwelling, house”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to rest; quiet”)) + saka, an ablaut variant of sœkja, sǿkja (“to look for, search, seek”) (from Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to look for, seek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to follow; to seek out, trace”)). Verb senses 1.2 (“to search (someone, or a place) thoroughly in order to steal something”), 1.3 (“to search for and steal (something) as plunder”), and 2.2 (“to search for and steal things”) are probably influenced by sack (“to pillage, to plunder”). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Middle Low German rānsāken, rantsāken * Old Danish randsage, ransage (modern Danish ransage) * Old Swedish ransaka (modern Swedish rannsaka)

Words formed from ransack

Questions about ransack

What does ransack mean?
Ransack means to search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.
What is ransack in Malayalam?
Ransack in Malayalam is സൂക്ഷ്മപരിശോധനചെയ്യുക, സാധനങ്ങൾ വലിച്ചുവാരിയിട്ട് തിരയുക, കൊള്ളയിടുക. See Ransack meaning in Malayalam.
How do you use ransack in a sentence?
She [a hen] scratches, ransacks up the earth for food, / Which they [chicks] partake at pleasure.
What part of speech is ransack?
Ransack can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce ransack?
Ransack is pronounced /ˈɹænsæk/.
What is the past tense of ransack?
The past tense of ransack is ransacked.

Words near ransack in the dictionary

  1. ranpikes
  2. Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube
  3. Ranquel
  4. Ranquels
  5. RANSAC
  6. ransack
  7. ransacked
  8. ransacker
  9. ransackers
  10. ransackest
  11. ransacketh

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: ransack (page history and authors); ransack (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ransack (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-ransack.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-ransack.wav.

Cite this entry: “ransack.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ransack. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.