Meanings
rummage1
present singular third person rummages · participle present rummaging · participle past rummaged · past rummaged
- transitiveTo search something thoroughly and with disregard for the way in which things were arranged.
She rummaged her purse in search of the keys.
4 more examples
The burglars rummaged the entire house for cash and jewellery.
He[…]searcheth his pockets, and taketh his keys, and so rummageth all his closets and trunks.
1655, James Howell, “To the Rt. Hon. the Lord Mohun”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume (please specify the page), London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, […], →OCLCWhat schoolboy of us has not rummaged his Greek dictionary in vain for a satisfactory account!
1866, Matthew Arnold, The Study of Celtic LiteratureBritish journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.
2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848 - intransitiveTo hastily search for something in a confined space and among many items by carelessly turning things over or pushing things aside; dig through carelessly.
She rummaged in the drawers trying to find the missing sock.
1 more example
Philander went into the next room[…]and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm. Then he put the coffee pot on the stove and rummaged out a loaf of dry bread and some hardtack.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC
plural rummages
- countableuncountableA thorough search, usually resulting in disorder.
Have a rummage through the attic and see if you can find anything worth selling.
1 more example
He has made such a general rummage and reform in the office of matrimony.
1753 May 24, Horace Walpole, letter to the Hon. H. S. Conway - countableobsoleteuncountableCommotion; disturbance.
- countableuncountableA disorganized collection of miscellaneous objects; a jumble.
- countableuncountablenauticalThe act of stowing cargo; the pulling and moving about of packages incident to close stowage.
Synonyms: romage
Rummage2
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo hastily search for something in a confined space and among many items by carelessly turning things over or pushing things aside; dig through carelessly.
nounThe act of stowing cargo; the pulling and moving about of packages incident to close stowage.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna thorough search for something (often causing disorder or confusion)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
rummage · verb, noun
- Old Frencharrumage
- Middle Englishronage
- Englishrummage
From Middle English ronage, from Old French arrumage (compare French arrimage), from arrumer (“to arrange the cargo in the hold”) (compare French arrimer and Spanish arrumar).
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Rummage · proper noun
- GermanRometsch
- EnglishRummage
Americanized spelling of German Rometsch.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian тършувам, ровя
- тършувам (tăršuvam)(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- ровя (rovja)to hastily search for
- претърсвам (pretărsvam)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- тършуване (tăršuvane)thorough search, usually resulting in disorder
- ровене (rovene)thorough search, usually resulting in disorder
- бъркотия (bărkotija)disorganized collection of miscellaneous objects
- трюм (trjum)nautical: place or room for the stowage of cargo
Catalan regirar, furgar
- regirar(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- furgar(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- remenar(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Chinese Mandarin 翻尋 /翻寻
- 翻尋 /翻寻 (fānxún)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Finnish ahtaa, penkoa
- ahtaato arrange something in the hold of a ship
- penkoa(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- koluta(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- penkoato hastily search for
- penkoa(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- penkominenthorough search, usually resulting in disorder
- sekamelskadisorganized collection of miscellaneous objects
- ruumanautical: place or room for the stowage of cargo
- ahtaminennautical: act of stowing cargo
French fouiller, fouiller
- fouiller(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- fouillerto hastily search for
- fouiller(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
German durchwühlen, wühlen
- durchwühlen(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- wühlento hastily search for
- stöbernto hastily search for
- durchwühlen(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Greek σκαλίζω
- σκαλίζω (skalízo)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Hebrew חיטט
- חיטט (khitét)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Irish tiomsaigh
- tiomsaigh(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Italian rivoltare, scuriosare
- rivoltare(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- scuriosare(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- buttare all'aria(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- rovistareto hastily search for
- frugareto hastily search for
- spulciareto hastily search for
- armeggiareto hastily search for
- frugare(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- rovistare(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Japanese 漁る, 引っ掻き回す
- 漁る (asaru)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- 引っ掻き回す (hikkamawasu)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Korean 뒤지다, 헤집다
- 뒤지다 (dwijida)(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- 헤집다 (hejipda)(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
Māori paraketu, hurahura
- paraketu(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- hurahura(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Norwegian endevende, grovsøke
- endevende(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- grovsøketo hastily search for
- gjennomsøke(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Norwegian Bokmål rote rundt i, omkalfatre
- rote rundt ito hastily search for
- omkalfatreto hastily search for
Portuguese revolver, esgravatar
- revolver(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- esgravatar(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- vasculhar(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- revirar(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- fuçarto hastily search for
- vasculhar(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Romanian scotoci, cotrobăi
- scotoci(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- cotrobăi(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Russian обы́скивать, обша́ривать
- обы́скивать (obýskivatʹ)(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- обша́ривать (obšárivatʹ)(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- ры́ться (rýtʹsja)to hastily search for
- копа́ться (kopátʹsja)to hastily search for
- ры́ться (rýtʹsja)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- копа́ться (kopátʹsja)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Spanish revolver, hurgar
- revolver(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- hurgar(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- hurguetear(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- jurungar(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- hurgarto hastily search for
- papelear(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Swedish rota, rota
- rota(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- rota(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Tagalog halughog, halughog
- halughog(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- halughogto hastily search for
- halughog(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Thai รื้อ, คุ้ย
- รื้อ (rʉ́ʉ)(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- คุ้ย (kúi)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
- ค้น (kón)(intransitive) to search something which contains many items
Welsh chwilio, chwilenna
- chwilio(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- chwilenna(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
- chwilota(transitive) to search something thoroughly and with disregard
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rummage
All rhymes →Cite this entry
rummage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rummage
“rummage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rummage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rummage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rummage.
Source: rummage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.