muckrake

[muhk-reyk]

See more synonyms for muckrake on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), muck·raked, muck·rak·ing.

to search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics.

Origin of muckrake

1675–85; obsolete muck rake a rake for use on muck or dung. See muck, rake¹

Related formsmuck·rak·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for muckraker

wench, fury, siren, hussy, bitch, hellion, carper, detractor, vixen, virago, nag, scold, battle-ax, biddy, harridan, harpy, madcap, termagant, backbiter, porcupine

Examples from the Web for muckraker

Contemporary Examples of muckraker

Honestly, most of the posts and tweets that matter trace their way back to an ink-stained finger on some muckraker somewhere.
A U.S. Thanksgiving—Family Style: Fractious but Friendly
Joshua DuBois
November 24, 2013
Muckraker Roberto Saviano summed it up perfectly last week when he spoke at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia.
My Ordeal Reporting Sexism Truth
Barbie Latza Nadeau
April 18, 2011
Instead, the muckraker only seemed to grow bolder and more dangerous with his every revelation.
Nixon White House Plotted to Kill Columnist
Mark Feldstein
September 15, 2010

Historical Examples of muckraker

And when the term "muckraker" came into use, I remember his deep satisfaction.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
For some moments the muckraker considered the statement thoughtfully.
Once Upon A Time
Richard Harding Davis
Muckraker: One who sits on the fence and defames American enterprise as it marches by.
The Roycroft Dictionary
Elbert Hubbard
It was a relief not to be accepted only as Everett the Muckraker, as a professional reformer, as one holier than others.
Once Upon A Time
Richard Harding Davis
A loyal Adopted Son of California, a novelist and muckraker, returned a few years ago to the beloved land of his adoption.
The Native Son
Inez Haynes Irwin

British Dictionary definitions for muckraker

muckrake

noun

an agricultural rake for spreading manure

verb

(intr) to seek out and expose scandal, esp concerning public figures

Derived Formsmuckraker, nounmuckraking, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for muckraker

c.1600, "one who rakes muck," from muck (n.) + agent noun from rake (v.). Meaning "one who inquires into and publishes scandal and allegations of corruption among political and business leaders," popularized 1906 in speech by President Theodore Roosevelt, in reference to "man ... with a Muckrake in his hand" in Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" (1684) who seeks worldly gain by raking filth.

The men with the muck-rakes are often indispensable to the well-being of society, but only if they know when to stop raking the muck. [T. Roosevelt, quoted in "Cincinnati Enquirer," April 15, 1906.]

Muckrake in sense "person who hunts scandal" is attested from 1872. To muckrake (v.) in the literal sense is from 1879; figuratively from 1910. Related: Muckraking.