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Glite Dictionary
to rake up

to rake up

1 6.8
Bring up old unpleasant events or arguments in public unnecessarily
  • phrasal verb
  • /reɪk ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : sacar a relucir
  • I would thank you not to rake up that matter and distress my family again.
  • rake up that matter again
  • rake up that matter

Examples

  • "I agree there's no reason to rake up that matter again," said Sir Robert.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Godman was guilty, and you can't do any good by raking it up again.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Gillard is constantly having muck raked up from her past!

    Blog text (1)

  • "Although I can't blame Lambert for not wanting the whole thing raked up again.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Do you really want to rake up the past, or can we move forward?

  • The journalist decided to rake up the old scandal, drawing criticism from the public.

  • During the meeting, some members began to rake up previous disagreements that had been resolved.

Synonyms

to dredge up
vsto rake up
18 6.2

To mention an unpleasant or forgotten memory from the past

focuses on making these matters public unnecessarily
to dig up dirt
vsto rake up
  • Informal
9 6.5

Look for and tell secret or bad things about someone to harm them

is broader and includes past unpleasant facts beyond scandal
to drag up
vsto rake up
  • Informal
1 6.8

To talk about bad things from the past that are better left forgotten

aims to expose them to public view without need
to rake over the past
vsto rake up
  • Informal
7.1

To keep talking about old mistakes or bad events unnecessarily

focuses on bringing these events into public attention unnecessarily
to rake over old coals
vsto rake up
  • Informal
8.4

To bring up old arguments or painful memories again

targets public exposure rather than private rehashing
to rake up old memories
vsto rake up
  • Informal
6.8

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

is used to make forgotten matters public rather than private recall

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to forget
∞ 1.0

Not remember something you should remember

How Public

to expose
342 4.1
to rake up
  • Informal
1 6.8
to dredge up
18 6.2
to bring up
788 2.6
to mention
∞ 1.0
to hint
136 2.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

rake + up

The literal verb 'rake' (to search through or gather) combined with the particle 'up' (indicating bringing to the surface or completion) gives a motivated metaphor of uncovering or bringing something out. However, the specific sense of resurfacing unpleasant or past issues is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable for a B1 learner who merely knows the constituents, so partial exposure would be needed.

Etymology

The phrasal verb rake up comes from the image of using a rake to pull hidden things up out of leaves or dirt. So, to rake up something means to 'bring back' old or painful events into view, often when people would rather forget them.