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Glite Dictionary
to rake in

to rake in

29 4.6
To earn a large amount of money with little effort
  • phrasal verb
  • /reɪk ɪn/
  • Informal
translation icon : forrarse
  • Last year, the company raked in over $10 million in profits with minimal advertising.
  • raked in millions

But smart people like you and me know that his purpose is to rake in billions of dollars tax free.

Examples

  • Her new movie, Monte Carlo, raked in millions at the box office.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Paramount will still rake in well over half a billion in box office and DVD.

    Blog text (2)

  • Where I work they rake in over a million bucks a day.

    Atlantic City (1980)

  • We'll rake in a fortune.

    Scorched (2003)

  • But smart people like you and me know that his purpose is to rake in billions of dollars tax free.

    I've Had It

  • And for a couple of years, he was raking in some dough for the first time in his life.

  • In this fashion, she'd managed to rake in nearly three thousand easy dollars in just over a month.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The film has raked in $80 million worldwide, $47 million of that in Germany.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Yes, that's right, these men are raking in massive profits from the global Emissions Trading Scheme.

    Blog text (21)

  • See, Connie, every year, the mob rakes in two and a half billion from football bookmaking.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

to make a fortune
vsto rake in
54 3.2

To earn a lot of money, often in a short time

stresses easy large earnings rather than timing or speed
to make a killing
vsto rake in
  • Informal
21 4.9

To earn a lot of money very quickly and easily

emphasizes large gain with little effort rather than speed alone
to cash in
vsto rake in
21 3.7

Make money from something, often by using a good opportunity

focuses on earning big amounts easily rather than conversion actions
to pull in
vsto rake in
14 4.1

To earn money from work or business

implies unusually large easy earnings, not routine income
to get rich quick
vsto rake in
  • Informal
3 6.2

To become rich very quickly, often by risky or dishonest methods

describes easy large earnings without implying risk or illegality
to rake in a fortune
vsto rake in
  • Informal
1 4.3

To earn a lot of money quickly with little work

has the same meaning but is shorter and more general
to shovel in
vsto rake in
  • Informal
7.7

To earn a lot of money quickly and easily

is more neutral in tone and lacks the forceful image

How Much

to rake in
  • Informal
29 4.6
to pull in
14 4.1
to bring in
123 2.8
to earn
780 1.0
to make
∞ 1.3

Surface Forms

rake in infinitive
raked in past
raked in past participle
raking in present participle
rakes in third person singular

Morphology

rake + in

The verb 'rake' (to gather with a tool) plus the particle 'in' gives a metaphorical sense of 'gathering' wealth, so the core idea of collecting money is reasonably inferable from the constituents. However, the specific sense of earning large amounts (often with little effort) is a figurative extension and carries pragmatic nuance that a B1 learner might not fully predict, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Rake in comes from the image of using a rake to pull things toward you, like leaves or hay. That's why rake in means 'to earn a lot of money easily'.