rake

¹ American  

[reyk] / reɪk /

noun

1. an agricultural implement with teeth or tines for gathering cut grass, hay, or the like or for smoothing the surface of the ground.

2. any of various implements having a similar form, as a croupier's implement for gathering in money on a gaming table.

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verb (used with object)

raked, raking

1. to gather, draw, or remove with a rake.

   to rake dead leaves from a lawn.

2. to clear, smooth, or prepare with a rake.

   to rake a garden bed.

3. to clear (a fire, embers, etc.) by stirring with a poker or the like.

4. to gather or collect abundantly (usually followed byin ).

   He marketed his invention and has been raking in money ever since.

5. to bring to light, usually for discreditable reasons (usually followed byup ).

   to rake up an old scandal.

6. to search thoroughly through.

   They raked the apartment for the missing jewels.

   Synonyms:

   ransack, scour, comb

7. to scrape; scratch.

   The sword's tip raked his face lightly.

8. to scoop out (a masonry joint) to a given depth while the mortar is still green.

9. to fire guns along the length of (a position, body of troops, ship, etc.).

   Gunfire from a Japanese cruiser raked the ship’s bridge.

10. to sweep (a place or thing) with the eyes or a light, typically in search of something.

    He raked the horizon with his gaze.

11. to sweep or pass over: Winds raked the plains.

    The high beams of a passing car raked the darkened house fronts.

    Winds raked the plains.

    She lingered at an Italian sports car, her eyes raking the length of it.

verb (used without object)

raked, raking

1. to use a rake.

   The gardener raked along the border of the garden.

2. to search with a sweeping motion.

   His gaze raked over the room.

3. to scrape; search.

   She frantically raked through her belongings.

idioms

1. rake over the coals. coal.

rake ² American  

[reyk] / reɪk /

noun

1. a dissolute or immoral person, especially a man who indulges in vices or lacks sexual restraint.

   Synonyms:

   womanizer, lecher, profligate, libertine, roué

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rake ³ American  

[reyk] / reɪk /

verb (used without object)

raked, raking

1. to incline from the vertical, as a mast, or from the horizontal.

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verb (used with object)

raked, raking

1. to cause (something) to incline from the vertical or the horizontal.

noun

1. inclination or slope away from the perpendicular or the horizontal.

2. a board or molding placed along the sloping sides of a frame gable to cover the ends of the siding.

3. Aeronautics. the angle measured between the tip edge of an aircraft or missile wing or other lifting surface and the plane of symmetry.

4. Machinery. the angle between the cutting face of a tool and a plane perpendicular to the surface of the work at the cutting point.

rake ⁴ American  

[reyk] / reɪk /

verb (used without object)

raked, raking

1. Hunting.

   1. (of a hawk) to fly after game.

   2. (of a dog) to hunt with the nose close to the ground instead of in the wind.

2. Chiefly Scot. to go or proceed, especially with speed.

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rake ¹ British  

/ reɪk /

noun

1. a hand implement consisting of a row of teeth set in a headpiece attached to a long shaft and used for gathering hay, straw, leaves, etc, or for smoothing loose earth

2. any of several mechanical farm implements equipped with rows of teeth or rotating wheels mounted with tines and used to gather hay, straw, etc

3. any of various implements similar in shape or function, such as a tool for drawing out ashes from a furnace

4. the act of raking

5. a line of wagons coupled together as one unit, used on railways

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verb

1. to scrape, gather, or remove (leaves, refuse, etc) with or as if with a rake

2. to level or prepare (a surface, such as a flower bed) with a rake or similar implement

3. to clear (ashes, clinker, etc) from (a fire or furnace)

4. (tr; foll by up or together) to gather (items or people) with difficulty, as from a scattered area or limited supply

5. (tr; often foll by through, over etc) to search or examine carefully

6. to scrape or graze

   the ship raked the side of the quay

7. (tr) to direct (gunfire) along the length of (a target)

   machine-guns raked the column

8. (tr) to sweep (one's eyes) along the length of (something); scan

rake ² British  

/ reɪk /

verb

1. to incline from the vertical by a perceptible degree, esp (of a ship's mast or funnel) towards the stern

2. (tr) to construct with a backward slope

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noun

1. the degree to which an object, such as a ship's mast, inclines from the perpendicular, esp towards the stern

2. theatre the slope of a stage from the back towards the footlights

3. aeronautics

   1. the angle between the wings of an aircraft and the line of symmetry of the aircraft

   2. the angle between the line joining the centroids of the section of a propeller blade and a line perpendicular to the axis

4. the angle between the working face of a cutting tool and a plane perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece

5. a slanting ledge running across a crag in the Lake District

rake ³ British  

/ reɪk /

verb

1. (of gun dogs or hounds) to hunt with the nose to the ground

2. 1. to pursue quarry in full flight

   2. (often foll by away) to fly wide of the quarry, esp beyond the control of the falconer

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rake ⁴ British  

/ reɪk /

noun

1. a dissolute man, esp one in fashionable society; roué

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Other Word Forms

• rakable
  adjective
• rakeable
  adjective
• raker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of rake¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun rak(e), Old English raca (masculine), racu (feminine); cognate with German Rechen, Old Norse reka “shovel”

Origin of rake²

First recorded in 1645–55; see origin at rakehell

Origin of rake³

First recorded in 1620–30; origin uncertain

Origin of rake⁴

First recorded before 1000; Middle English raken “to go, hasten,” Old English racian

Explanation

If it’s fall and the yard is covered with leaves, you'll want to get out the rake, a long-handled tool with a row of tines. Either that, or get out the excuses and leave the leaves where they lie. Rake has several senses, including to use a rake to gather leaves or smooth soil. Rake can also mean to search something — the way police may rake through a crime scene for clues or the way you may rake through a messy desk to find a pencil. A rake is also a slanted plane — it's often used to refer to a slanted stage in a theater. In high society, a rake is an immoral man.

Example Sentences

Chris Hemsworth plays a mercenary named Tyler Rake, which tells you everything you need to know about his character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Paul McCartney was particularly incensed, excoriating the book as "The Muck You Rake" and famously burning his copy as wife Linda memorialized its destruction on film.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2024

Chris Ford, who lives nearby, said the men had been trying to cross water on Rake Lane.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2023

Regrouping with Yaz and Nik, Rake devises a plan to save them.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2023

“Anything. Rake the yard. Mow the lawn. Whatever they need.”

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Related Words

• comb
• scour
• scrape