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to rake in a fortune

to rake in a fortune

1 4.3
To earn a lot of money quickly with little work
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ganar una fortuna
  • With the popularity of her online store, she was able to rake in a fortune within just a few months.

Examples

  • We'll rake in a fortune.

  • The entrepreneur launched a new app and quickly began to rake in a fortune from subscriptions.

  • Thanks to his viral video, he managed to rake in a fortune through ad revenue.

Synonyms

to make a fortune
vsto rake in a fortune
54 3.2

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

adds emphasis that this often involves little effort
to rake in
vsto rake in a fortune
  • Informal
29 4.6

To earn a large amount of money with little effort

emphasizes fast earning in addition to low effort
to make a killing
vsto rake in a fortune
  • Informal
21 4.9

To earn a lot of money very quickly and easily

refers more to general earning rather than business profit
to get rich quick
vsto rake in a fortune
  • Informal
3 6.2

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

means fast earning but not necessarily by risky methods
to shovel in
vsto rake in a fortune
  • Informal
7.7

To earn a lot of money quickly and easily

specifies earning rather than sometimes just receiving money

How Much

to rake in a fortune
  • Informal
1 4.3
to rake in
  • Informal
29 4.6
to bring in
123 2.8
to earn
780 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

rake + in + a + fortune

The verb 'rake' (to gather) combined with 'fortune' (wealth) gives a clear metaphorical image of gathering large sums, so an informed B1 learner could infer the general idea of acquiring a lot of money. However, the phrasal form 'rake in' carries an idiomatic nuance—often rapid or easy accumulation—that is not fully predictable from the literal meanings, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Rake in a fortune comes from the picture of someone using a rake to pull lots of coins into a pile, like gathering money quickly. Because you are 'raking' money in easily, the phrase means 'to earn a lot of money', often fast or with little work.