Ransack

ransack
    v 1: steal goods; take as spoils; "During the earthquake people
         looted the stores that were deserted by their owners" [syn:
         {plunder}, {despoil}, {loot}, {reave}, {strip}, {rifle},
         {ransack}, {pillage}, {foray}]
    2: search thoroughly; "They combed the area for the missing
       child" [syn: {comb}, {ransack}]
    

Ransack \Ran"sack\ (r[a^]n"s[a^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   {Ransacked} (-s[a^]kt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Ransacking}.] [OE.
   ransaken, Icel. rannsaka to explore, examine; rann a house
   (akin to Goth. razn house, AS. r[ae]sn plank, beam) + the
   root of s[ae]kja to seek, akin to E. seek. See {Seek}, and
   cf. {Rest} repose.]
   1. To search thoroughly; to search every place or part of;
      as, to ransack a house.
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            To ransack every corner of their . . . hearts.
                                                  --South.
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   2. To plunder; to pillage completely.
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            Their vow is made
            To ransack Troy.                      --Shak.
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   3. To violate; to ravish; to defiour. [Obs.]
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            Rich spoil of ransacked chastity.     --Spenser.
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Ransack \Ran"sack\, v. i.
   To make a thorough search.
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         To ransack in the tas [heap] of bodies dead. --Chaucer.
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Ransack \Ran"sack\, n.
   The act of ransacking, or state of being ransacked; pillage.
   [R.]
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         Even your father's house
         Shall not be free from ransack.          --J. Webster.
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48 Moby Thesaurus words for "ransack":
      beat, burglarize, burgle, comb, depredate, despoil, examine,
      explore, fleece, forage, foray, freeboot, grub, gut, knock off,
      knock over, look all over, look everywhere, loot, maraud, pillage,
      plunder, prey on, raid, rake, ravage, raven, ravish, reive,
      relieve, rifle, rob, rummage, sack, scour, scrutinize, search,
      search high heaven, shake, shake down, spoil, spoliate, stick up,
      strip, sweep, toss, turn inside out, turn upside down