rummaged; rummaging
1
: to make a thorough search or investigation
2
: to engage in an undirected or haphazard search
1
: to make a thorough search through : ransack
rummaged the attic
2
: to examine minutely and completely
3
: to discover by searching
rummager
noun
1
a
: a confused miscellaneous collection
b
: items for sale at a rummage sale
2
: a thorough search especially among a confusion of objects
Synonyms
Verb
- ascertain
- descry
- detect
- determine
- dig out
- dig up
- discover
- dredge (up)
- ferret (out)
- find
- find out
- get
- hit (on or upon)
- hunt (down or up)
- learn
- locate
- nose out
- root (out)
- rout (out)
- run down
- scare up
- scout (up)
- track (down)
- turn up
Noun
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of rummage in a Sentence
Verb
He rummaged through the attic for his baseball card collection.
He rummaged in his pocket for the receipt.
I heard you rummaging around in the refrigerator.
Noun
a rummage of textbooks, notebooks, and old school papers all over the desk
Recent Examples on the Web
James Ross Gardner, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2023
Someone had rummaged through a shelf behind the sales counter.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023
Anchorage Jane Heisel is used to seeing wildlife roaming in the woods of her South Anchorage backyard, but this is the first year she’s seen brown bears taking to the streets to rummage through trash cans for food.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023
Large herbivores regulate nature’s fire systems by eating plant matter that fuels wildfires and turning over soil and vegetation litter as a result of their rummaging behavior.
—Curtis Abraham, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
On that warm midsummer morning, Stoke Abbott was all biscuit-colored loveliness in thatch and sandstone, with dog roses panting out of the hedges, mayflies shimmering, and bees rummaging in the foxgloves.
—Catherine Fairweather, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023
After the raid was over, the family discovered that the soldiers had used the building as a temporary base and rummaged through their belongings.
—Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 7 July 2023
Her grandmothers were glamorous and let her rummage through their closets, where Zendaya would tie their slipdresses tight in the back to fit like a gown and pose in her maternal grandmother’s vintage jewelry.
—Clover Hope, ELLE, 23 Aug. 2023
Some of the attackers can be seen in the video opening and rummaging through the victim’s handbag, and one boy takes the victim’s phone and puts it in his pocket, the statement said.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 16 July 2023
Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 1 June 2023
Pets rummage around in small cages, adapting like their owners to a hybrid life, largely in darkness.
—Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
Pets rummage around in small cages.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
The only products not allowed are antiques and rummage.
—Erik S. Hanley, Journal Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2023
Hundreds of festivalgoers rummage through displays of wicker baskets, fabric, artwork, and books.
—Rhyan Du Peloux, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec. 2022
Fortunately, the truly hip will seek out the open source version of rummage-sale garb that makes the label-hungry crowd look gauche.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 30 Sep. 2022
Taken together, Against All Odds is more than a shiny souvenir for Blondie fans or a rummage through the band’s archive.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2022
Fifteen miles from the seat of the Indian government, cows rummage for fruit peels and pigs wallow in stagnant water.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022
See More
Verb
In the garage, Brittany and her husband rummaged through boxes of photos to mount around the house.
—James Ross Gardner, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2023
Someone had rummaged through a shelf behind the sales counter.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023
Anchorage Jane Heisel is used to seeing wildlife roaming in the woods of her South Anchorage backyard, but this is the first year she’s seen brown bears taking to the streets to rummage through trash cans for food.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023
Large herbivores regulate nature’s fire systems by eating plant matter that fuels wildfires and turning over soil and vegetation litter as a result of their rummaging behavior.
—Curtis Abraham, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
On that warm midsummer morning, Stoke Abbott was all biscuit-colored loveliness in thatch and sandstone, with dog roses panting out of the hedges, mayflies shimmering, and bees rummaging in the foxgloves.
—Catherine Fairweather, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023
After the raid was over, the family discovered that the soldiers had used the building as a temporary base and rummaged through their belongings.
—Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 7 July 2023
Her grandmothers were glamorous and let her rummage through their closets, where Zendaya would tie their slipdresses tight in the back to fit like a gown and pose in her maternal grandmother’s vintage jewelry.
—Clover Hope, ELLE, 23 Aug. 2023
Some of the attackers can be seen in the video opening and rummaging through the victim’s handbag, and one boy takes the victim’s phone and puts it in his pocket, the statement said.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 16 July 2023
Noun
Xavieran Mission Festival: Live music, dinner specials, rummage and bake sale, 3-11 p.m. June 24; noon-7 p.m. June 25.
—Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 1 June 2023
Pets rummage around in small cages, adapting like their owners to a hybrid life, largely in darkness.
—Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
Pets rummage around in small cages.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
The only products not allowed are antiques and rummage.
—Erik S. Hanley, Journal Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2023
Hundreds of festivalgoers rummage through displays of wicker baskets, fabric, artwork, and books.
—Rhyan Du Peloux, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec. 2022
Fortunately, the truly hip will seek out the open source version of rummage-sale garb that makes the label-hungry crowd look gauche.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 30 Sep. 2022
Taken together, Against All Odds is more than a shiny souvenir for Blondie fans or a rummage through the band’s archive.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2022
Fifteen miles from the seat of the Indian government, cows rummage for fruit peels and pigs wallow in stagnant water.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rummage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
obsolete English romage act of stowing cargo, modification of Middle French arrimage, from arrimer to stow, from a- (from Latin ad-) + -rimer, from Middle English rimen to open up, make room for, from Old English rȳman — more at ream
First Known Use
Verb
1582, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing rummage
Dictionary Entries Near rummage
Cite this Entry
“Rummage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rummage. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
rummage
1 of 2 verb
rum·mage
ˈrəm-ij 
rummaged; rummaging
: to make an active search especially by moving, turning, or looking through the contents of a place or container
rummaging through the attic
rummage
2 of 2 noun
: a confused miscellaneous collection of articles
More from Merriam-Webster on rummage
Nglish: Translation of rummage for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of rummage for Arabic Speakers
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