rummage

an unorganized collection or mixture of various things a rummage of textbooks, notebooks, and old school papers all over the desk Synonyms 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, mishmash, mixed bag, montage, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, pastiche, patchwork, patchwork quilt, potpourri, ragbag, ragout, miscellany, salad, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, stew, tumble, variety, welterRelated Words detritus, notions, oddments, odds and ends, sundries; accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomerate, conglomeration; catchall; admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up; bollix, chaos, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, dog's breakfast [chiefly British], mess, morass, muddle, shambles; imbroglio, knot, snarl, tangle

1 to come upon after searching, study, or effort at the last minute she rummaged a costume from the attic Synonyms ascertain, descry, detect, determine, dig out, dig up, discover, dredge (up), ferret (out), find out, get, hit (on or upon), hunt (down or up), learn, locate, nose out, root (out), rout (out), find, run down, scare up, scout (up), track (down), turn upRelated Words espy, sight, spot; look for, search (for or out), seekNear Antonyms lose, mislay, misplace, missetAntonyms miss, overlook, pass over

2 to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something he rummaged the desk drawer trying to find the spare keys Synonyms comb, dig (through), dredge, hunt (through), rake, ransack, rifle, search, scour, sort (through), trollRelated Words frisk, pat down, shake down; audit, check (out), examine, inspect, investigate, review, scan, scrutinize, survey; ascertain, descry, detect, determine, discover, ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), learn, locate, run down, scare up, track (down); grub (about), poke (around); explore, probe, prospect, skirmish, snoop; browse, glance (over), look over; peruse, studyNear Antonyms hide; abandon, lose; ignore, neglect