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 ).

---

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

---

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

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

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

Casting the US version of Strictly Come Dancing isn't the bargain-bin, back-end-of-the alphabet rummage of some other countries either.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2024

“The Mothers’ Club at school did a rummage sale every year, and there was always the question of what the money would go to,” Gates remembers.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• comb
• forage
• poke
• scour