rummage sale

American  

noun

1. a sale of miscellaneous articles, old or new, as items contributed to raise money for charity, of unclaimed goods at a wharf or warehouse, or of odds and ends of merchandise at a shop.

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rummage sale British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): jumble sale.  a sale of miscellaneous articles, usually cheap and predominantly secondhand, in aid of charity

2. a sale of unclaimed property or unsold stock

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Etymology

Origin of rummage sale

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Bull remembers a conversation she had decades ago with a volunteer at a rummage sale at an Episcopal church in New Orleans where she was helping the church raise funds to build a labyrinth.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2023

The squad feels like a choice rummage sale, full of young and expensive pieces that never quite fit together and that will do far better wherever they find new homes.

From Slate • Oct. 18, 2019

SAT-SUN 112th annual bazaar, Nordic food and bake sale, crafts, raffle, rummage sale, Book Nook, silent auctions, Norwegian coffee, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2018

Dear Heloise: When your church is going to have a rummage sale, some of the people in the church work all week to unpack all the donated merchandise, set up tables and price everything.

From Washington Post • Jul. 16, 2018

“The Mothers’ Club at school did a rummage sale every year, and there was always the question of what the money would go to,” Gates remembers.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell