rake

1 of 2

verb (1)

raked; raking

transitive verb

1

: to gather, loosen, or smooth with or as if with a rake

rake leaves into a pile

2

: to gain rapidly or in abundance

—usually used with in

rake in a fortune

3

a

: to touch in passing over lightly

b

: scratch, scrape

4

: to censure severely

5

: to search through : ransack

6

: to sweep the length of especially with gunfire : enfilade

7

: to glance over rapidly

raker noun

rake

2 of 2

verb (2)

raked; raking

intransitive verb

: to incline from the perpendicular

Synonyms of rake

Verb (1)

• search
• comb
• find
• dredge
• scan

Examples of rake in a Sentence

Verb (1)

he raked repeatedly through his luggage, hoping that in one of the bags he would find his lost passport before his flight's departure

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

When seeding bare areas or reseeding, cover the seed with a very thin layer of soil, approximately 1/8 inch thick, by gently raking the area after spreading seeds. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 June 2026

The voice was faint and rasping, like the sound of pebbles raked by a wave. —Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026

Beth pulled out a spiked back and Cope raked Dax’s face with it. —Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

Incorporate and Water On bare soil, lightly rake the fertilizer into the top inch. —Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1691, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rake

• haul/rake (someone) over the coals
• rake in
• rake it in
• rake-off
• rake over
• rake (someone) over the coals
• rake up

Rhymes for rake

• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake

Kids Definition

rake

1 of 3 noun

ˈrāk 

1

: a garden tool with a long handle and prongs at the end

2

: a machine for gathering hay

rake

2 of 3 verb

raked; raking

1

: to gather, loosen, or smooth with or as if with a rake

rake leaves

raking in money

2

a

: to touch in passing over lightly

b

: scratch entry 1 sense 1, scrape

3

: to search through : ransack

rake the records for evidence

4

: to sweep the length of with or as if with gunfire

raker noun

rake

3 of 3 noun

: libertine

Etymology

Noun

Old English racu "a tool for gathering up grass or straw"

Noun

a shortened form of earlier rakehell (same meaning)