rummage through

rummage through (something) (for something)

To dig or root around aimlessly in or through some cluttered place or collection of things in order to find something. I caught my brother rummaging through my purse again. A raccoon was rummaging through the dumpster for something to eat. We spent the whole afternoon rummaging through old photographs of Granny Mary, picking the best ones for her memorial service.
See also: rummage, through
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

rummage through something

to move things about haphazardly while searching through something. I rummaged through my top drawer, looking for any two socks that matched. Mary spent some time rummaging through the toolbox before she found what she was looking for.
See also: rummage, through
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • rummage through (something) (for something)
  • rummage around in (something) for (something)
  • hunt through
  • hunt through (something) (for something)
  • root through (something) (for something)
  • rummage around in (something)
  • root around in (something) for (something)
  • root around for (something)
  • rummage around for (something)
  • rummage
References in periodicals archive
Lisa Burles, manager of the British Heart Foundation store, said: "People rummage through the bins and just throw the rubbish on the street and we've had complaints about it.
Bi n trouble for charity
Then yesterday she was pictured leaving a BBC radio studio in London with a cigarette in her mouth after a long rummage through her bag to find one.
Vices of an Angel
No longer will you have to rummage through bags and pockets, as the keychain will stylishly hold all keys in a central place.
Accessories sure to get you noticed; Girl Torque IN ASSOCIATION WITH CHEVROLET
I would rummage through those well-read pages, often picking out stories of our worldwide communion.
Source of comfort
Meanwhile, from November 8 to January 20, IVAM, Valencia, will rummage through the closets of the equally intriguing Claude Cahun, artist, philosopher, writer, and gender terrorist par excellence.
SUFFER! SUFFER!
Godbold's latest exhibition was called "Social Anxiety (& other unrelated) Disorder[s]" and, as ever, his grab bag of images and text derived from a well-informed rummage through the mustier corners of European art history and an equally enthusiastic trawl through the less edifying shallows of contemporary pop culture.
KERLIN GALLERY