rake
/ɹeɪk/ verb C2- To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake. · She is raking the gravel path to keep it even.· We raked all the leaves into a pile.
- Often followed by in: to gather (things which are apart) together, especially quickly. · The casino is just raking in the cash; it’s like a licence to print money.
- Often followed by an adverb or preposition such as away, off, out, etc.: to drag or pull in a certain direction.
- To claw at; to scrape, to scratch; followed by away: to erase, to obliterate. · The cat’s sharp claws raked the side of my face.
- Followed by up: to bring up or uncover (something), as embarrassing information, past misdeeds, etc.
- To search through (thoroughly).
- To move (a beam of light, a glance with the eyes, etc.) across (something) with a long side-to-side motion; specifically (often military) to use a weapon to fire at (something) with a side-to-side motion; to spray with gunfire. · The enemy machine guns raked the roadway.
- To fire upon an enemy vessel from a position in line with its bow or stern, causing one's fire to travel through the length of the enemy vessel for maximum damage.
Plural rake · He/she/it rakes · Past raked · Past participle raked · -ing form raking
Verb forms
- Base form
- rake
- He/she/it
- rakes
- Past
- raked
- Past participle
- raked
- -ing form
- raking
Phrasal verbs and expressions
- rake in To collect something such as leaves into a pile, often wi...
- rake off To remove (something from something) in a sweeping motion.
- rake out To clean by removing material with a rake.
- rake over To discuss something unpleasant from the past.
- rake up To bring up or uncover (something), as embarrassing infor...
From the library
When Miss Harris returned with the rake and cheerfully inquired: “Anything else tonight, Mr.
“Oh, certainly--certainly--just as you say,” stammered unhappy Matthew, seizing the rake and making for the door.
When he reached home he hid the rake in the tool house, but the sugar he carried in to Marilla.
Where your calling is more open to criticism is when you pry into the secrets of private individuals, when you rake up family matters which are better hidden, and when you incidentally waste the time of men who are more busy than yourself.
Other matches
- rake A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed... B2
- rake Of a bird of prey: to fly after a quarry C2
- rake To incline C2
- rake A course, a path, especially a narrow and steep... C2
- rake A person C2
- rake A divergence from the horizontal or perpendicular C2
- rake The act of raking. C2
- rake in To collect something such as leaves into a pile...
Learn rake in real texts
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