What does rummage mean?
Word: Rummage
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Rummage means to look for something by moving things about in a hurried, untidy way.
Synonyms: hunt
How do you spell rummage?
Syllables: rum - mage
Tricky part: The m sound in the middle is short and quick, so many pupils write one m. It needs two.
Watch out for: rumage, rummag
Memory tip: Picture two hands digging through a drawer at once: two hands, two m's.
Rummage in a sentence
Example 1: Tara had to rummage in her bag for ten minutes before she found the bus pass.
Example 2: The puppy likes to rummage through the laundry basket for socks.
Example 3: Dadu spent all afternoon in the storeroom, rummaging through boxes of old stamps.
Fun Fact
This began as a sea word. Around 1500 it meant packing cargo in a ship's hold, and the idea of searching through things grew out of that.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
r_mm_ge
a) u, i
b) u, a
c) a, a
d) o, a
Show answer
b) u, a. The first vowel is the u of sun, and the second is the a of village, spoken very lightly.
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt and three are spelt correctly. Choose what the misspelt word means.
1. rummadge 2. ramble 3. dawdle 4. haggle
a) to dig through a jumble of things for one item
b) to move slowly and waste time
c) to walk for pleasure in the countryside
d) to argue over a price until both sides agree
Show answer
a) to dig through a jumble of things for one item. The word has no d, even though words like badge and fudge do.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Meena began to gemmaru through the old trunks for her school photographs.
a) damage
b) rummage
c) manage
d) massage
Show answer
b) rummage. Only rummage has an r, a u and two m's.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word rummage as used in the sentence:
Before the trip, Rohan stopped to rummage through the wardrobe for his warm cap.
a) search
b) arrange
c) label
d) repair
Show answer
a) search. Rohan is trying to find the cap, so search is the closest word here.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which scene shows someone rummaging?
a) Neha washing clothes in a bucket at home
b) Neha tossing clothes from a drawer to find a scarf
c) Neha folding clothes neatly into a drawer
d) Neha ironing clothes before going to school
Show answer
b) Neha tossing clothes from a drawer to find a scarf
2. Which place would most invite a shopper to rummage?
a) a locked cabinet of silver cups
b) a single neat row of shoes
c) a menu board above a counter
d) a bargain bin of mixed toys
Show answer
d) a bargain bin of mixed toys
