to rake

Examples

• All

• So I grew up in Michigan and it was very popular to rake the oak leaves in your front yard into a pile.

• You really should rake the leaves out here.

  The Tomb (2009)

• And we're just going to rake all these up and then we're going to throw them on the garden.

• Turn off the television, go outside, rake some leaves, get out in the sun, breathe some fresh air.

  Dr. Phil

• And it's very kind of you to rake the grass the way you do.

  The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry (2008)

• I was just here raking leaves.

  Seven Minutes in Heaven (1986)

• The boys didn't finish raking leaves.

  Boyhood (2014)

• An older man was in the field about fifty yards away, raking meadow hay into neat windrows.

  Fiction book (1990)

• "The janitor was holding a short-handled rake and raking up dry pine needles into a rubber basket."

  Fiction book (1996)

• Before winter arrives, it's important to rake the fallen leaves from the yard.

Synonyms

S

to sweep

vsto rake

227 1.0

To clean a floor or surface by brushing away dirt with a broom

gathers or moves material by pulling it with tines rather than brushing it away

R

to rake the leaves

vsto rake

1 1.3

To gather fallen leaves from the ground using a long-handled tool

is the shorter single-word general action form

H

to harrow

vsto rake

• Specialized

7.5

To break up and smooth soil using a farm tool with spikes

focuses more on gathering or clearing material rather than deep soil breaking

Antonyms

S

to scatter

110 2.7

To make people or animals move quickly in different directions

D

to disperse

104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

Idioms

R

to rake over the coals

• Informal

4 7.9

Scold someone very strongly for a mistake

R

to rake in a fortune

• Informal

1 4.3

To earn a lot of money quickly with little work

R

to rake over old coals

• Informal

8.4

To bring up old arguments or painful memories again

S

to step on a rake

• Informal

8.6

To have unexpected problems because of your own mistake

Phrasal Verbs

R

to rake in

• Informal

29 4.6

To earn a large amount of money with little effort

R

to rake the leaves

1 1.3

To gather fallen leaves from the ground using a long-handled tool

R

to rake up

• Informal

1 6.8

Bring up old unpleasant events or arguments in public unnecessarily

R

to rake off

• NSFW

1 9.1

Take money secretly from payments, often in an illegal way

R

to rake over the past

• Informal

7.1

To keep talking about old mistakes or bad events unnecessarily

R

to rake over

• Informal

7.1

Carefully examine and discuss a topic, often when it is difficult or unpleasant

R

to rake together

• Informal

6.7

Gather money, papers, or people quickly, often with effort

R

to rake up old memories

• Informal

6.8

Remember past events on purpose, often ones you would rather forget

Compounds

G

garden rake

1 1.7

A tool with a long handle and a bar with teeth for gathering leaves or smoothing soil

C

croupier's rake

• Jargon

9.9

A small tool a casino dealer uses to move and collect chips on the table

F

fine-toothed rake

4.9

A garden tool with many close teeth for gathering leaves and small debris

R

rake handle

2.5

A long stick used to hold a garden tool for moving leaves

R

rake-off

• Literature

8.9

A small secret share taken from money or profits by dishonest people

How Thorough

to clear

∞ 1.5

to clean

∞ 1.0

to rake

28 1.0

to sweep

227 1.0

to brush

242 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology