ransack
To search a place roughly and messily, often stealing things.
ransack in a sentence
- The pirates began to ransack the cabin, flinging clothes and papers everywhere as they hunted for gold.
- The naughty puppy managed to ransack the toy box, scattering teddies all over the floor.
Words that mean something similar
raid, loot, plunder
Careful: ransack is not plunder
Plunder is about taking. Ransack is about searching and making a mess. Read why children mix them up.
More words about movement & action
- recede: To move back or become further away.
- recoil: To jump back suddenly in fear or disgust.
- repel: To push something away or drive it back, or to make someone feel disgusted.
- restrain: To hold someone or something back.
- retreat: To move back or away, especially from danger.
- retrieve: To go and get something back.
- revolt: To rise up and fight against the people in charge.
- rigid: Stiff and impossible to bend, or very strict.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test