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
The idea is to have Arraez raking throughout and worry about untenable defense when you’re forced to.
—
Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Aviles recommends loosening the soil by hand or raking it with a garden claw to aerate it.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 29 Jan. 2026
Fend it off in fall by raking the leaves off your lawn or chopping them up with your mower, leaving behind a very thin layer on the grass.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
In a newspaper clipping more than 50 years old, a photo shows two little girls in Ceres raking a huge pile of mulberry leaves.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Burrow, who spoke with media after the Bengals lost 18-20 to the Cleveland Browns, seemed bothered by his 'do from the start, sitting down at the mic and instantly raking his lengthy bangs back with his hands.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Work your way up to the scalp, raking the product to ensure that your curls are evenly coated.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2025
Also, Pérez has been raking at the Triple-A level for quite some time.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Seasonal chores like raking leaves or shoveling snow, decorating your house or decluttering your closets can also count as functional exercise without hitting the gym.
—Monica Haider, CNN Money, 20 Nov. 2025
Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Aviles recommends loosening the soil by hand or raking it with a garden claw to aerate it.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 29 Jan. 2026
Fend it off in fall by raking the leaves off your lawn or chopping them up with your mower, leaving behind a very thin layer on the grass.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
In a newspaper clipping more than 50 years old, a photo shows two little girls in Ceres raking a huge pile of mulberry leaves.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Burrow, who spoke with media after the Bengals lost 18-20 to the Cleveland Browns, seemed bothered by his 'do from the start, sitting down at the mic and instantly raking his lengthy bangs back with his hands.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Work your way up to the scalp, raking the product to ensure that your curls are evenly coated.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2025
Also, Pérez has been raking at the Triple-A level for quite some time.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Seasonal chores like raking leaves or shoveling snow, decorating your house or decluttering your closets can also count as functional exercise without hitting the gym.
—Monica Haider, CNN Money, 20 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raking
Verb
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His family spent an agonizing week searching through morgues, hospitals and detention facilities before finally identifying his body among piles of corpses, also shown in the viral footage.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Police are searching for a suspect after a Florida Memorial University student was raped on campus early Sunday morning, according to Miami Gardens police.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By Jon Krawczynski The Timberwolves have been combing the trade market for weeks, evaluating possibilities both big and small.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
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Petro sat in a favorite leather armchair, dressed comfortably in sneakers, slacks, and a white cardigan; a female assistant was combing his hair.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Speaking of safety, the robot is also capable of scanning its surroundings and avoiding contact with other equipment or people.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
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Bizzi’s research, done over four years, involved scanning hundreds of books, reports and articles.—
Larry D. Urish,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Los Angeles pop-punk trio spends its seventh album wrestling with nostalgia, finding nuance and emotional complexity in their everyday grievances.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
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While investigators interviewed hundreds of people connected to Plasse without finding her killer, the Chicopee Police Department became embroiled in scandal.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raking. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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