rummage

verb rum·mage \ ˈrə-mij \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of rummage

rummaged; rummaging

intransitive verb

1 : to make a thorough search or investigation

2 : to engage in an undirected or haphazard search

transitive verb

1 : to make a thorough search through : ransack

rummaged the attic

2 : to examine minutely and completely

3 : to discover by searching

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rummager

noun

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Examples of rummage in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of rummage from the Web

The 15-second teaser quickly flashes between present-day Jennifer, rummaging through photographs, then as a young girl.

— deirdre durkan, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Tale' Trailer: HBO's Laura Dern Drama Delves Into Sexual Abuse," 9 Apr. 2018
At that point, everyone had rummaged through their underwear drawer, right?

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Author and Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Fritz on Recode Media," 2 Apr. 2018
The monkeys are known to climb inside cars, rummage inside purses and pretty much take advantage of any inattentive human too smitten with the creatures to roll up the window and close the car doors.

— james r. carroll, chicagotribune.com, "Gibraltar draws visitors with curious monkeys and Britain-meets-the-Mediterranean vibe," 14 Mar. 2018
His lower appendage suggests a phallic cloaca rummaging around inside a toy version of the wide-open Capitol building.

— sarah boxer, The Atlantic, "Why Is Donald Trump So Hard to Caricature?," 10 Mar. 2018
Nothing of value was taken, and most were just rummaged through.

— julie a. short/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Resident reports $20,000 in fraudulent charges: Bay Village Police Blotter," 29 Mar. 2018
According to the outlet, the ever relatable royal appeared to rummage in her closet for her St. Patrick’s Day green.

— janine puhak, Fox News, "Duchess of Cambridge stuns in emerald St. Patrick’s Day look," 17 Mar. 2018
In four episodes made available for review, the show rummages through a mixed bag of inscrutable themes, one of which appears to be an indictment of the performative cultural correctness that sets people off nowadays.

— hank stuever, chicagotribune.com, "HBO has a real stinker in the dreadfully unrelatable 'Here and Now'," 9 Feb. 2018
Evans reportedly went into a classroom while the students were outside, rummaged through three backpacks and stole a total of $180.

— monique judge, The Root, "Just Triflin’: Custodian Steals $180 From Students During National School Walkout Day," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rummage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rummage

²rummage

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First Known Use: 1582

See Words from the same year

rummage Synonyms

rummage

noun

Definition of rummage

1 a : a confused miscellaneous collection

b : items for sale at a rummage sale

2 : a thorough search especially among a confusion of objects