as in degenerate
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
was often spotted in sordid places that reinforced a reputation as one of the city's most notorious rakes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in slope
the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon
the floor of the auditorium doesn't have much of a rake, so sightlines for spectators in the rear are not good
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to search
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
he raked repeatedly through his luggage, hoping that in one of the bags he would find his lost passport before his flight's departure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rake
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.
—Heather Zidack, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Mar. 2026
Monday was also the deadline for residents to rake-out their leaves as part of the one-time, spring collection this year.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rake
Noun
In one of the musical’s many stomach-turning late developments, its resident rake, a bisexual playboy played by Claybourne Elder (doing better after his carriage accident), sets his sights on a 14-year-old girl who has slipped into the party from Poughkeepsie (Maya Rowe) and tries to rape her.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Remove thick, dense piles of wet and matted leaves, or consider gently fluffing them up with a rake.
—Heather Zidack, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
Verb
Don’t rake or drive a vehicle through the area as forest floors are typically where morels grow.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Mar. 2026
Monday was also the deadline for residents to rake-out their leaves as part of the one-time, spring collection this year.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rake
Verb
-
Together, these two superb artists make much of Yarris constantly seeking the light, as Yarris searches for a way forward from the blackness of death row.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
At a time when many are searching for hope, the mission behind the race feels especially timely.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One way to tackle the show at the Met is to go from start to finish, diligently combing through all two hundred and thirty-seven pieces by Raphael and his wider circle.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
After that check was delivered to the state Department of Social Services office in Hartford, the audit into Zervas’ optometry practice was dropped, which prevented state auditors from combing through her records and potentially clawing back even more money for the state.—
Dave Altimari,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His understanding of where to be, when to slow the game down and when to speed it up, his ability to show for the ball under pressure and find a team-mate in more space; these are the things that Tottenham have desperately lacked.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Game 2 started echoing Game 1 after halftime, when Towns finally found rhythm and the Knicks looked like the more gifted team all over again.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For decades, the harbor entrance has been dredged each year in the spring, usually finishing in time to leave a fresh coat of sand on Oceanside’s nearby beaches in time for the Memorial Day weekend.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Working with 1 tofu slab at a time, dredge tofu in flour mixture, gently pressing to adhere.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
According to a California audit last month which analyzed open network traffic across more than 7,600 popular websites scanned from California, over half (55%) of sites set advertising cookies even after users explicitly rejected them.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The system then scans YouTube and flags potential replicas for that celebrity’s team to review.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rake. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
