as in searching
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
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Recent Examples of raking
Using ironing cloths and a few leaves leftover from raking your yard, iron the leaves onto 8-by-8-inch squares of wax paper.
—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
Removing Existing Moss Since moss has no true root system, small areas of growth are easy to remove by simply raking or pulling up the moss.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
Operations include tractors pulling raking machines, supporting crews of laborers who pick up litter and empty trash cans by hand and beach sweepers who clear paths for pedestrians and bike trail users.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
However, those four agencies all play critical parts in California’s wildfire prevention and response efforts, from forecasting and forest management (yes, raking and cutting underbrush is included here) to post-fire disaster relief.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Vargas, like Sosa, has been raking since the All-Star break.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
In renderings, the pergola seems to recede into foliage, and crowds mingle underneath in raking light.
—Sam Bloch
august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Penny became a right-wing cause célèbre, raking millions of dollars in donations toward his legal defense.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 3 Dec. 2024
Besides the pitching edge, the Dodgers’ hitters are raking, with two home runs from Andy Pages and another long ball from Mookie Betts, nine hits and a brief shortening of a 10-2 deficit.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
Removing Existing Moss Since moss has no true root system, small areas of growth are easy to remove by simply raking or pulling up the moss.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
Operations include tractors pulling raking machines, supporting crews of laborers who pick up litter and empty trash cans by hand and beach sweepers who clear paths for pedestrians and bike trail users.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
However, those four agencies all play critical parts in California’s wildfire prevention and response efforts, from forecasting and forest management (yes, raking and cutting underbrush is included here) to post-fire disaster relief.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Vargas, like Sosa, has been raking since the All-Star break.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
In renderings, the pergola seems to recede into foliage, and crowds mingle underneath in raking light.
—Sam Bloch
august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Penny became a right-wing cause célèbre, raking millions of dollars in donations toward his legal defense.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 3 Dec. 2024
Besides the pitching edge, the Dodgers’ hitters are raking, with two home runs from Andy Pages and another long ball from Mookie Betts, nine hits and a brief shortening of a 10-2 deficit.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raking
Verb
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Authorities are still searching for those responsible.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Who isn't searching for Japan travel?—
Monica Pitrelli,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Authorities are combing through video from the scene, including this video which appears to show a person on the roof immediately following the shooting, according to sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Without federal and local standards on how to deal with contaminants like arsenic and the carcinogen benzene, dozens of researchers and private specialists are combing through yards and homes, work that goes beyond authorities’ post-fire testing.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An AppSec assessment can helps uncover these risks by evaluating the effectiveness of existing controls, scanning practices and visibility across the application landscape.—
Rajat Sharma,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Sony and onsemi still dominate SPAD chip technology, while silicon OPA scanning precision, a key process, needs to be improved.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His eyes darted around, finding nowhere to rest.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
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Facing one of these situations late in the quarter, Hartman bought time scrambling to his right before finding Brown behind the defense on the sideline for a 38-yard pass to the 9-yard line.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Raking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raking. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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