rummage
Americanverb (used with object)
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to search thoroughly or actively through (a place, receptacle, etc.), especially by moving around, turning over, or looking through contents.
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to find, bring, or fetch by searching (often followed by out orup ).
verb (used without object)
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to search actively, as in a place or receptacle or within oneself.
She rummaged in her mind for the forgotten name.
noun
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miscellaneous articles; odds and ends.
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a rummaging search.
verb
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to search (through) while looking for something, often causing disorder or confusion
noun
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an act of rummaging
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a jumble of articles
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obsolete confusion or bustle
Other Word Forms
- rummager noun
- unrummaged adjective
Etymology
Origin of rummage
1520–30; aphetic alteration of Middle French arrumage, equivalent to arrum ( er ) to stow goods in the hold of a ship (< ?) + -age -age
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Dominican nuns who run the kitchen prepare food for about 80 elderly or destitute people -- growing numbers of Cubans are forced to rummage through garbage bins for food -- each day.
From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026
Some sections developed their own microclimates due to the flow of air conditioning, forcing delegates to rummage around for jackets to keep warm.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
The passage of great TV characters bequeaths to their survivors, including the audience, a rummage of questions that end up shaping their journey.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2025
"They're going to continue to rummage around in this story and there wasn't much to go on there."
From BBC • Aug. 7, 2023
Or me and Diego will cruise into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge and cupboards for something else to eat.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.