ransack

present singular third person ransacks · participle present ransacking · participle past ransacked · past ransacked · first person past singular ransacked · archaic present second person singular ransackest · past second person singular ransacked · archaic past second person singular ransackedst · present singular third person ransacks · archaic present singular third person ransacketh · past singular third person ransacked · past plural ransacked · past subjunctive ransacked · participle present ransacking · participle past ransacked

1. transitiveTo search (a place, through things, etc.) thoroughly, especially when vigorous and leaving behind a state of disarray.

   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 Haukyns, →OCLC, 3rd boke, folio cccxxxii, verso, column 2; reprinted Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, October 1972, →OCLC

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   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, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 336, column 1

   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, London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 117

   Synonyms: rifle

2. transitiveTo 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

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   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 Synne. […]. Of Couertise.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, column 94

   In Troy there lyes the Scene: From Iles of Greece / The Princes Orgillous, their high blood chaf'd / Haue to the Port of Athens ſent their ſhippes / […] their vovv is made / To ranſacke Troy, vvithin vvhoſe ſtrong emures / The rauiſh'd Helen, Menelaus Queene, / VVith vvanton Paris ſleepes, and that's the Quarrell.

   c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida. The Prologue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC

   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, and to Several Persons. […], London: […] Henry Bonwicke, […], →OCLC, page 88

   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 Expedition of Orsua; and the Crimes of Aguirre, London: […] [A[ndrew] and R[obert] Spottiswoode] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […], →OCLC, page 191

   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)

   Synonyms: loot, pillage, rifle, sack

3. transitivechiefly passive voiceTo 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. archaicfigurativelytransitiveTo 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 Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 912, column 1

   5 more examples

   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 Tyler, →OCLC, [signature 5H3], column 1

   Conſider next, his [God's] Infinite, All-ſearching Knovvledge, vvhich looks through and through the moſt ſecret of our Thoughts, ranſacks every corner of the Heart, ponders the moſt invvard deſigns and ends of the Soul in all a man's Actions.

   1694, Robert South, “A Discourse against Long Extemporary Prayers: In a Sermon on Ecclesiastes V. 2.”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions. […], volume II, London: […] J[ohn] H[eptinstall] for Thomas Bennet […], →OCLC, pages 133–134

   [A]lthough thou beeſt blameleſs and unſpotted as to thy outvvard Life and Converſation, ſo that none can ſay, black is thine Eye, as to any groſs Sin; yet knovv, that God pondereth thy Heart, and ranſacketh every Corner of thy Soul, and obſerves the Motions of thoſe very Luſts that vvar vvithin thee, and prevail againſt thee.

   a. 1709 (date delivered), William Beveridge, “Sermon LXXXV. Repentance, a Certain, and the Only Method of Obtaining Pardon.”, in The Works of the Right Reverend Father in God, Dr. William Beveridge, Late Lord Bishop of St. Asaph. […], volume II, London: […] William Taylor, […], published 1720, →OCLC, page 69

   For Arts like theſe preferr'd, admir'd, careſt, / They firſt invade your Table, then your Breaſt; / Explore your Secrets vvith inſidious Art, / VVatch the vveak Hour, and ranſack all the Heart; […]

   1738, [Samuel Johnson], London: A Poem. In Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal. […], 2nd edition, London: […] [Thomas Ruddiman] for R[obert] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 12

   The Reader may, novv, plainly ſee, that I am ranſacking my Memory, for ſuch remaining Scraps of Theatrical Hiſtory, as may not, perhaps, be vvorth his Notice: […]

   1740, Colley Cibber, chapter XVI, in An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, […], London: […] John Watts for the author, →OCLC, page 323

5. obsoletetransitiveTo 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. obsoletetransitiveTo search (someone) for a thing.
7. figurativelyobsoletetransitiveSynonym 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 of the Tenthe Booke, as since His Death coulde be Founde in Vnperfit Papers at His House in Kilgarran Forest in Penbroke Shyre, London: […] Rouland Hall, for Nicholas Englande, published 1562, →OCLC, signatures Ee.i., recto – Ee.i., verso

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   [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. intransitiveTo 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 Poesie. […], London: […] [Henry Bynneman and Henry Middleton for] Richarde Smith, →OCLC, page 389

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   [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 Workes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Humfrey Lownes [and are to be sold by Arthur Iohnson […]], published 1611, →OCLC, pages 133–134

9. archaicintransitiveTo search for and steal things.

plural ransacks

1. Synonym of ransacking (“an act of ransacking (“searching thoroughly (in order to steal); etc.”) someone or something; an eager search”).

   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

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   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

   A soldier in the general ransack found a jar of olives which this man had buried, and in which he had concealed some pieces of gold; […]

   1821, Robert Southey, “Alarm in the Nuevo Reyno—Aguirre Lands at Burburata, and Advances to Valencia”, in The Expedition of Orsua; and the Crimes of Aguirre, London: […] [A[ndrew] and R[obert] Spottiswoode] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […], →OCLC, page 154

   [H]e is decided in his belief that the signet was an emerald, and as precious for the work of the artist as its own intrinsic value. Perhaps this stone also will turn up in the ransack of the sultan's treasury.

   1861 June 1, “Antique Gems”, in William and Robert Chambers, editors, Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts, volume XV, number 387, London; Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers […], →OCLC, page 347, column 2

   "There are no official papers here," he said, after another short ransack; "there must have been some if this desk is the one. Have you dared to delude me by showing the wrong desk?"

   1886 April – 1887 April, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, “Discharged from Duty”, in Springhaven. A Tale of the Great War. […], volume III, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, […], published 1887, →OCLC, pages 207–208

   Synonyms: ransacking