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.
was rummaging
-
past progressiveof rummage.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Larry Villescas, 52, was rummaging through what was left of his home.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2025
Ryan Donato was rummaging around the crease for Adam Larsson’s rebound and put it back 2:38 into the game.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2022
One afternoon in 2014, the scholar Catherine Prendergast was rummaging through archives in UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library when she stumbled across a letter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2021
He was rummaging through his bag, pulling something out — a tiny glass bottle.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2021
Now here he was rummaging through one that he’d helped wreck, looking for secrets.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
