Do most Brits still speak this way?

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TheParser

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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?


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SlickVic9000

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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

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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

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