rummage sale

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.

rummage sale

noun

1. a sale of miscellaneous articles, usually cheap and predominantly secondhand, in aid of charity Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)jumble sale
2. a sale of unclaimed property or unsold stock

Word History and Origins

Origin of rummage sale¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

The Chicago Sports Spectacular, one of the country’s biggest and oldest card shows, is like a rummage sale from the days before eBay, but with way more money involved.

From New York Times

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

Everything inside the beach shack was tagged and priced, just like a rummage sale.

From Seattle Times

The Kelly family recently held a rummage sale in their front yard, and a white family walked over to introduce themselves.

From New York Times

The scene on a recent Friday at a Greenwich Village townhouse was like a cross between an art opening and a rummage sale.

From New York Times