Meaning & use
rummage
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To search for something by moving things around, often in a messy or hurried way.
Grammar: No direct object; use with through, in, or around: rummage through a drawer.
Patterns
- rummage through something
- rummage in something
- rummage around
She rummaged through her bag for the keys.
He rummaged in the attic and found his old guitar.
The children rummaged around the toy box all afternoon.
verbtransitive
To find or pull something out by searching in this way.
Grammar: Takes an object with out or up: rummage out a coat.
Patterns
- rummage something out
- rummage something up
He rummaged out an old map from the bottom of the chest.
She rummaged up a few coins from her pockets.
They rummaged out some blankets for the guests.
nouncountable
An act of searching by moving things around, or a mixed collection of secondhand items.
Grammar: Usually used with a: have a rummage. In rummage sale it describes secondhand goods.
Patterns
- have a rummage
- a rummage sale
Have a rummage in the cupboard and see if there is any tape.
The church held a rummage sale to raise money.
After a quick rummage, he gave up the search.
Word forms
| third person singular | rummages |
|---|---|
| past tense | rummaged |
| past participle | rummaged |
| -ing form | rummaging |
| plural | rummages |
Common combinations
- rummage through
- He rummaged through the drawer for a pen.
- rummage around
- She rummaged around the kitchen looking for a lid.
- rummage sale
- We found a lamp at the school rummage sale.
- rummage in a bag
- Tom rummaged in his bag for the ticket.
- have a rummage
- Have a rummage in the garage; the ladder is there.
Synonyms and how they differ
- search
- Search is general and can be careful and organized, while rummage suggests a hasty, messy hunt.
- root around
- Root around is informal and also suggests poking blindly, much like rummage.
- ransack
- Ransack is violent and destructive, often when looking for valuables, unlike mild rummage.
- forage
- Forage means to search wide areas for food or supplies, while rummage is about digging through a container or pile.
Word family
- rummager noun
- a person who rummages
- rummaging noun
- the act of searching through things
- rummage sale noun
- a sale of used goods, often for charity
Commonly confused: rummage or ransack? rummage or scavenge?
rummage vs ransack
Ransack means to search and also wreck or rob a place, while rummage is not destructive.
rummage vs scavenge
Scavenge means to look for useful items among waste, while rummage describes searching your own or accessible things.
Practice
She ___ her handbag looking for her phone.
Choose one answer.
You rummage through a container or place and rummage for the thing you want. Here the bag is the object of the search, so through fits, while for would be followed by the phone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rummage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.