rummage
verb (used with object)
to search thoroughly or actively through (a place, receptacle, etc.), especially by moving around, turning over, or looking through contents.
rummaged
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past participleof rummage.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof rummage.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
rummageverb (used with object)to search thoroughly or actively through (a place, receptacle, etc.), especially by moving around, turning over, or looking through contents.
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.
After taking a job at the Conference Board, a business research organization, he rummaged through libraries to unearth measures of railcar freight loading and trends in short staple cotton prices since the Civil War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
She rummaged around for a second and suggested a triangle with an exclamation point in it, which would signal a bit of excitement but clear danger too.
From Slate ● Dec. 26, 2025
Towards the end of the patrol he described how hungry crew members rummaged for tins of food in hidden compartments inside the submarine.
From BBC ● May 12, 2025
St. John rummaged with his bare hands through broken beams and burnt kitchen appliances, hopeful that he’d be able to salvage something to remember the pizzeria as it once was.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2025
Franz swallowed it whole and shamelessly rummaged through the mailbag for more.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
