1
as in finding
to come upon after searching, study, or effort
at the last minute she rummaged a costume from the attic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in searching
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
he rummaged the desk drawer trying to find the spare keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rummaging
Wired headphones, chargers, and adapters go here, so you’ll never be stuck rummaging through a tote bag for an EU-compatible plug at the gate again.
—
Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
Nervous hands rummaging for tissues in handbags, sweaty embraces, last words of advice—and then, we were gone.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Almost immediately the gunman went rummaging through a small tackle box beneath his chair while the other man passed an unlabeled liter of clear liquid to Adi.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Instead of rummaging through containers and bags of food, stackable refrigerator bins are our favorite way to make everything easy to find and reach.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Jansen Prosecutors describe challenges organizing Epstein evidence Federal prosecutors describe the same problems searching through electronic documents in the Epstein case as casual observers have found rummaging through the records the Justice Department released.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Videos of bears rummaging through supermarket aisles, roaming school grounds and plucking persimmons from suburban backyards have gone viral on Japanese social media.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
In one of the scenes, Kevin takes advantage of being alone in the house and starts rummaging through his big brother Buzz's belongings.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025
Dogs around Delhi usually mind their business, which includes basking in the sun, rummaging through trash for food or chasing away rats.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2025
Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
Nervous hands rummaging for tissues in handbags, sweaty embraces, last words of advice—and then, we were gone.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Almost immediately the gunman went rummaging through a small tackle box beneath his chair while the other man passed an unlabeled liter of clear liquid to Adi.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Instead of rummaging through containers and bags of food, stackable refrigerator bins are our favorite way to make everything easy to find and reach.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Jansen Prosecutors describe challenges organizing Epstein evidence Federal prosecutors describe the same problems searching through electronic documents in the Epstein case as casual observers have found rummaging through the records the Justice Department released.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Videos of bears rummaging through supermarket aisles, roaming school grounds and plucking persimmons from suburban backyards have gone viral on Japanese social media.
—Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
In one of the scenes, Kevin takes advantage of being alone in the house and starts rummaging through his big brother Buzz's belongings.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025
Dogs around Delhi usually mind their business, which includes basking in the sun, rummaging through trash for food or chasing away rats.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rummaging
Verb
-
The grim news out of Tucson is that, thirteen days into the search for Nancy Guthrie, the odds of finding her alive have been dropping by the hour.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The impact is expected to hit the bottom of the employment pyramid hardest, with research finding big drops in hiring among 22- to 25-year-olds in tech and customer service, The Economist reported.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Schacht, a lean clinical psychologist with boyish features, has spent much of his career searching for medications to treat alcohol addiction.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The bodycam video was an eye-opening look at the frightening aftermath of the Brown campus shooting when police were searching room-by-room for the suspect, trying to comfort and care for terrified students, and trying to coordinate with campus police to get past locked doors.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the simplest case, an unexpected reward (say, discovering some tasty fruit when hungry, or having someone attractive declare their love for you) causes a burst of dopamine release into a part of the basal ganglia known as the striatum—specifically, the nucleus accumbens.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
While the popularity of these app-blocking devices increases (Novelli said the company has sold more than 60,000), questions remain about their efficacy when the people who buy them are mainly discovering the devices through the internet—and talking about them on social media.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Enhance your media literacy by learning the differences between news and opinion and, further, how to differentiate between advertising, news articles, letters, columns and editorials.—
Brenda Looper,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
YouTube pushed back on addiction claims YouTube wasn’t originally part of the lawsuit; Kaley and her mother decided to add it after learning about the platform’s addictive qualities, Lanier said.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Prayer requests have accompanied Guthrie’s calls for help locating her mother.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The findings underscore the importance of incorporating oral traditions into heritage protection, as folklore contains crucial information for locating these sites.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson called Garland one of his favorite players and seemed to take comfort in handing him off to Lue, who is known for getting the most out of his players.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Otherwise, past travelers note that Anse Source d’Argent can get busy, and your fellow tourists may prevent you from getting that picture-perfect moment.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rummaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rummaging. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
