Do most Brits still speak this way?

[TheParser]

I have just learned a new verb. Here is a sentence written by (presumably) a female British journalist:

"I rooted in my bag for something that could pass as a birthday present for a 6-year-old."

I assume that an American would have written "searched."

Is "rooted" in that sense still widely used in the United Kingdom?


THANK YOU

[SlickVic9000]

(Not a Teacher)

I've read that word in several places before, though I can't say for sure if I've ever heard someone say it.

[5jj]

It's common enough in informal English. It has the idea of searching for some time, and is often followed by 'around'.

A better title for the thread would have been 'rooted' = 'searched' in BrE?

[Tdol]

It sounds natural to me, though more so with around/about.