Synonyms of rummaging

rummaging

verb

present participle of rummage

1

as in finding

to come upon after searching, study, or effort

at the last minute she rummaged a costume from the attic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• finding
• discovering
• learning
• locating
• getting
• detecting
• ascertaining
• determining
• hitting (on or upon)
• tracking (down)
• hunting (down or up)
• finding out
• running down
• digging out
• digging up
• scouting (up)
• descrying
• dredging (up)
• routing (out)
• ferreting (out)
• spotting
• turning up
• rooting (out)
• seeking
• nosing out
• scaring up
• espying
• sighting
• searching (for or out)
• looking for

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missing
• passing over
• overlooking
• losing
• misplacing
• mislaying
• missetting

2

as in searching

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 & Similar Words

• searching
• combing
• scanning
• finding
• scouring
• surveying
• exploring
• raking
• examining
• investigating
• ransacking
• locating
• trolling
• dredging
• inspecting
• digging (through)
• hunting (through)
• rifling
• discovering
• sorting (through)
• reviewing
• scrutinizing
• detecting
• snooping
• ascertaining
• learning
• auditing
• checking (out)
• determining
• perusing
• probing
• frisking
• browsing
• studying
• hitting (on or upon)
• tracking (down)
• finding out
• running down
• getting
• prospecting
• poking (around)
• shaking down
• ferreting (out)
• descrying
• looking over
• glancing (over)
• patting down
• skirmishing
• grubbing (about)
• scaring up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hiding
• losing
• ignoring
• abandoning
• neglecting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rummaging

If Jean Seberg went rummaging in Catherine Deneuve’s closet, then grabbed some ham sandwiches and a Lee Child thriller and hopped a high-speed train to Biarritz with a pit stop for a French 75 at La Colombe d’Or, this might be the result. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

At the time, resale brought to mind old, dusty clothes in the back of a closet and rummaging through thrift store racks just to put on someone else’s shoes. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

For some, the thought of rummaging around in a parent’s wardrobe is a less than tantalizing prospect, The same can’t be said for Sienna Miller’s eldest daughter, Marlowe Sturridge. — Olivia Allen, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026

Wing agreed, sending us rummaging through our respective fly boxes. — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026

As a result, Miami is rummaging the waiver wire for linebackers who can help them make it through practice and the third preseason game, which is Friday night at home against the Atlanta Falcons. — Omar Kelly august 24, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026

A couple's anniversary getaway took a wild turn when a bear strolled into a Gatlinburg tea shop and began rummaging through merchandise before suddenly jumping onto the counter in a startling encounter caught on video. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026

There have been multiple reports of a female bear and cubs rummaging in dumpsters, the agency said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Instead of rummaging through a pile of clothes to find one item, everything stays neatly separated and easy to access. — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2026