rummaging
Digging through stuff
Rummaging is searching through something by moving items around, typically in a disorderly way.
The word suggests pawing through drawers, bags, or cluttered spaces looking for something specific: She was rummaging through her purse for her keys.
It implies a hands-on, somewhat messy search rather than a methodical one.
Separating by particle size
- riflingBarrel's helical grooves
- ferretingSearching out tenaciously
- rootingActively cheering someone on
- diggingRemoving earth below
groping · fumbling · poking · hunting · scrounging · scavenging · ransacking · delving
Worthless discarded items
- pilesMultiple heaped accumulations
- heapJumbled collection of items
- messDisorderly, troublesome condition
- jumbleConfused disorderly collection
chaos · muddle · disarray · drawers · boxes · attic · closet · garage
Gathering discarded or dead material
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- salvagingRecovering discarded or damaged goods
- gleaningCollecting leftover grain
- pickingAct of selecting
collecting · dumpster diving · thrifting · flea market · yard sale · secondhand · bargain hunting · recycling
Valued wealth or keepsake
- findLocate through effort
- unearthingDiscovering something hidden
- uncoveringRevealing something hidden
- stumbling uponFinding by chance
keepsake · memento · artifact · antique · heirloom · curiosity · forgotten · hidden
sifting
Separating by particle size
- riflingBarrel's helical grooves
- ferretingSearching out tenaciously
- rootingActively cheering someone on
digging · groping · fumbling · poking · hunting · scrounging · scavenging · ransacking · delving · probing
junk
Worthless discarded items
- pilesMultiple heaped accumulations
- heapJumbled collection of items
- messDisorderly, troublesome condition
jumble · chaos · muddle · disarray · drawers · boxes · attic · closet · garage · basement
scavenging
Gathering discarded or dead material
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- salvagingRecovering discarded or damaged goods
- gleaningCollecting leftover grain
picking · collecting · dumpster diving · thrifting · flea market · yard sale · secondhand · bargain hunting · recycling · repurposing
treasure
Valued wealth or keepsake
- findLocate through effort
- unearthingDiscovering something hidden
- uncoveringRevealing something hidden
stumbling upon · keepsake · memento · artifact · antique · heirloom · curiosity · forgotten · hidden · buried
- searchingsearching, digging, looking through, finding, discovering
- scavengingscavenging, foraging, salvage, glean, scrounging
- muddlingmuddling, jumbling, scrambling, mixing up, disarranging
- dementiamemory loss, Alzheimer's, forgetfulness, cognitive decline, memory impairment
- dirtyingsoiling, dirtying, staining, smearing, smudging
- messing aroundfooling, goofing, goofing off, horsing around, messing with
rummagingindexing
Systematic organization for retrieval
filing · inventorying · organizing · cataloging · cataloguing
forage, rummage, scavenge, rummaged, rummages, rummager, rummagers, rummage sale