rake-off

[ reyk-awf, -of ]

/ ˈreɪkˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for rake-off on Thesaurus.com

noun

a share or amount taken or received illicitly, as in connection with a public enterprise.

a share, as of profits.

a discount in the price of a commodity: We got a 20 percent rake-off on the dishwasher.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of rake-off

1885–90, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase rake off

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use rake-off in a sentence

Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The off-year special election into which Duke threw himself drew little media notice at first.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Aaron Paul may play a young Han Solo in the first Star Wars spin-off.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Jean was to be an architect—God knows why—but Aristide settled it, definitely, off-hand.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Harrowing makes finer the lumps near the surface, and mixes the fertilizer deeper than a rake can be used.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
In favorable parts of the trail he must do better than that, to off-set losses of time where the going was most difficult.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
There was something about the man that Matt liked, in spite of the deceit he had practised at the start-off of their acquaintance.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for rake-off

rake-off

/ slang /

noun

a share of profits, esp one that is illegal or given as a bribe

verb rake off

(tr, adverb) to take or receive (such a share of profits)

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with rake-off

rake off

Make an unlawful profit, as in They suspected her of raking off some of the campaign contributions for her personal use. This expression alludes to the raking of chips by an attendant at a gambling table. [Late 1800s]

rake-off

Origin of rake-off

Words related to rake-off

How to use rake-off in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rake-off

Other Idioms and Phrases with rake-off