rummage

American  

[ruhm-ij] / ˈrʌm ɪdʒ /

verb (used with object)

rummaged, rummaging

1. to search thoroughly or actively through (a place, receptacle, etc.), especially by moving around, turning over, or looking through contents.

2. to find, bring, or fetch by searching (often followed by out orup ).

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verb (used without object)

rummaged, rummaging

1. to search actively, as in a place or receptacle or within oneself.

   She rummaged in her mind for the forgotten name.

noun

1. miscellaneous articles; odds and ends.

2. a rummaging search.

rummage British  

/ ˈrʌmɪdʒ /

verb

1. to search (through) while looking for something, often causing disorder or confusion

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noun

1. an act of rummaging

2. a jumble of articles

3. 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

Explanation

Rummage means to search for something, but in a scattered, disorganized manner. You can rummage through your drawer looking for a lost sock, or you could even hold "a rummage sale" to sell off all your socks that are missing their mates. Ahoy, mateys: the word rummage hails from a sea-faring background. The Middle Dutch ruim, Germanic rum, and Old English rum all referred to a compartment on a ship, probably stemming from the Middle French verb arrumer, "to stow goods in the hold of a ship." The idea of rummaging as searching was first recorded in the 1620s. The first rummage sale also had its ship connection, as it was a sale on the docks of unclaimed items.

Example Sentences

Its flashing lights and internet connectivity foretell a future in which kids won’t rummage around in the toy box at all, opting instead for more and more screen time.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

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

To our benefit, Lewis and Tolkien weren’t content to rummage around for these ideals in dust-covered parchment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

"The kids are not going to rummage around and look at use by dates, but if it's at the front I know that's the one that needs using first."

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2025

I put the car in D and press it to seventy, praying, Please, Hilly, resist the temptation to rummage through my personal business “So what’s the big secret, what do you have to do today?”

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Related Words

• comb
• forage
• poke
• scour