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Glite Dictionary
to rake the leaves

to rake the leaves

1 1.3
To gather fallen leaves from the ground using a long-handled tool
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : rastrillar las hojas
  • Every fall, we rake the leaves in the yard to keep it tidy.

Examples

  • "Kenny, your father wants you to rake the leaves up."

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I raked the leaves.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • You really should rake the leaves out here.

    The Tomb (2009)

  • Last year, their first year in this house, in this country, John had raked the leaves away himself.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Every fall we raked the leaves, but only once as a family.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • "I'm going back to bed." "Wait, then we can rake the leaves."

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I was just about to rake the leaves off the dichondra first.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "Kenny, your father says he'd like you to rake the leaves."

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I can easily mow my lawn and rake the leaves, but I hate using my free time to do it, so I pay someone.

    Blog text (26)

  • I rake the leaves, and my aluminum rake handle bends in half because the tube is too thin.

    Blog text (32)

Synonyms

to rake
vsto rake the leaves
28 1.0

To gather leaves or loose soil using a long-handled tool with teeth

focuses only on gathering fallen leaves from the ground rather than other materials
to rake together
vsto rake the leaves
  • Informal
6.7

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

refers to the physical act of collecting fallen leaves outdoors rather than gathering resources

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.6

To cause a feeling or result to remain after an event

to scatter
110 2.7

To make people or animals move quickly in different directions

Surface Forms

rake the leaves infinitive
raked the leaves past
raked the leaves past participle
raking the leaves present participle
rakes the leaves third person singular

Morphology

rake + the + leaf

The meaning 'to gather fallen leaves using a rake' is directly and transparently derived from the verb 'rake' (to use a tool to gather) plus the noun 'leaves' (plural of leaf). This is a straightforward verb + object composition following common English patterns (and similar constructions in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Rake the leaves comes from a simple garden image: you use a tool with a long handle, a rake, to pull fallen leaves into neat piles. So the phrase literally means 'to gather fallen leaves from the ground' and is used when people clear yards or gardens.