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)
noun
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miscellaneous articles; odds and ends.
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a rummaging search.
verb
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rummagesimple
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rummagessimple
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have rummagedperfect
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has rummagedperfect
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are rummagingprogressive
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am rummagingprogressive
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is rummagingprogressive
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have been rummagingperfect progressive
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has been rummagingperfect progressive
Past
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rummagedsimple
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had rummagedperfect
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was rummagingprogressive
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were rummagingprogressive
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had been rummagingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing rummage
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Hate U Give
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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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.
This experience enabled Awale to elevate his vision and he has decided to relaunch his label in September as Rummage Studios with a new brand identity focused on global expansion.
From BBC • Aug. 29, 2022
Police investigated after dozens of these stolen items were allegedly found for sale, with identifying security tags intact, at the Rummage Around consignment store at the Pike Place Market.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2021
Rummage by Emily Cockayne An entertaining, anecdote-rich history of rubbish, recycling and making-do, which considers what lessons can be drawn from the past.
From The Guardian • Jun. 20, 2020
Rummage far enough on Twitter, and one can find those unforeseeable hybrids, Temple men who are Baylor fans.
From Washington Post • Nov. 14, 2019
She was really very happy and thought a good deal of Rummage Sales.
From The Cromptons by Holmes, Mary Jane
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.
