Rake

/ɹeɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting debris, grass, etc., for flattening the ground, or for loosening soil; also, a similar wheel-mounted tool drawn by a horse or a tractor.
  • Grammar: rake is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: slant, accrue, aim at, angularity.
  • Useful contrasts: ascetic, commend, disbursement.
  • Usage evidence: Tom wanted to help Mary rake the leaves, but she was using the only rake.

How to use "rake"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rake" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rake" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rake" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rake" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "rake" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "slant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "rake", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting debris, grass, etc., for flattening the ground, or for loosening soil; also, a similar wheel-mounted tool drawn by a horse or a tractor.

    "Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. […] Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft."

  2. 2
    The act of raking.
  3. 3
    A course, a path, especially a narrow and steep path or route up a hillside. Northern-England, also, figuratively
  4. 4
    Rate of progress; pace, speed. Scotland
  5. 5
    A divergence from the horizontal or perpendicular; a slant, a slope.
Show 17 more definitions
  1. 6
    A person (usually a man) who is stylish but habituated to hedonistic and immoral conduct.

    "We have now and then rakes in the habit of Roman senators, and grave politicians in the dress of rakes. The misfortune of the thing is, that people dress themselves in what they have a mind to be, and not what they are fit for."

  2. 7
    a long-handled tool with a row of teeth at its head; used to move leaves or loosen soil wordnet
  3. 8
    A similarly shaped tool used for other purposes.; A tool with a straight edge at the end used by a croupier to move chips or money across a gaming table. broadly
  4. 9
    Something that is raked.; A share of profits, takings, etc., especially if obtained illegally; specifically (gambling) the scaled commission fee taken by a cardroom operating a poker game.
  5. 10
    A fissure or mineral vein of ore traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so.
  6. 11
    In full, angle of rake or rake angle: the angle between the edge or face of a tool (especially a cutting tool) and a plane (usually one perpendicular to the object that the tool is being applied to). specifically
  7. 12
    degree of deviation from a horizontal plane wordnet
  8. 13
    A similarly shaped tool used for other purposes.; A type of lockpick that has a ridged or notched blade that moves across the pins in a pin tumbler lock, causing them to settle into a shear line. broadly
  9. 14
    Something that is raked.; A lot, plenty. Ireland, Scotland, slang

    "Jim has had a rake of trouble with his new car."

  10. 15
    A series, a succession; specifically (rail transport) a set of coupled rail vehicles, normally coaches or wagons. British, Scotland

    "The train was formed of a locomotive and a rake of six coaches."

  11. 16
    The direction of slip during the movement of a fault, measured within the fault plane.
  12. 17
    a dissolute man in fashionable society wordnet
  13. 18
    A type of puffer train that leaves behind a stream of spaceships as it moves.

    "I've been dealing primarily with rake and spaceship interactions for ease of experimentation (a rake will invariably escape before being eaten by even its most hellish progeny, and a spaceship is easy to redraw on the spot)."

  14. 19
    Alternative spelling of raik (“a course, a way; pastureland over which animals graze; a journey to transport something between two places; a run; also, the quantity of items so transported”). Midlands, Northern-England, alt-of, alternative
  15. 20
    Senses relating to watercraft.; A slant that causes the bow or stern of a watercraft to extend beyond the keel; also, the upper part of the bow or stern that extends beyond the keel.
  16. 21
    Senses relating to watercraft.; A slant of some other part of a watercraft (such as a funnel or mast) away from the perpendicular, usually towards the stern.
  17. 22
    The sloped edge of a roof at or adjacent to the first or last rafter.
Verb
  1. 1
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.

    "She is raking the gravel path to keep it even."

  2. 2
    Alternative spelling of raik (“(intransitive, Midlands, Northern England, Scotland) to walk; to roam, to wander; of animals (especially sheep): to graze; (transitive, chiefly Scotland) to roam or wander through (somewhere)”) alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    To move swiftly; to proceed rapidly. Midlands, Northern-England, Scotland, intransitive
  4. 4
    To incline (something) from a perpendicular direction. ambitransitive

    "A mast rakes aft."

  5. 5
    To behave as a rake; to lead a hedonistic and immoral life. dated, intransitive, rare

    "When women hid their necks , and veil'd their faces , Nor romp'd , nor raked , nor stared at public places"

Show 18 more definitions
  1. 6
    scrape gently wordnet
  2. 7
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; Often followed by in: to gather (things which are apart) together, especially quickly. also, figuratively, transitive

    "The casino is just raking in the cash; it’s like a licence to print money."

  3. 8
    Of a bird of prey: to fly after a quarry; also, to fly away from the falconer, to go wide of the quarry being pursued. intransitive
  4. 9
    Senses relating to watercraft.; To provide (the bow or stern of a watercraft) with a rake (“a slant that causes it to extend beyond the keel”). transitive
  5. 10
    gather with a rake wordnet
  6. 11
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; Often followed by an adverb or preposition such as away, off, out, etc.: to drag or pull in a certain direction. transitive
  7. 12
    Senses relating to watercraft.; Of a watercraft: to have a rake at its bow or stern. intransitive, rare
  8. 13
    level or smooth with a rake wordnet
  9. 14
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; To claw at; to scrape, to scratch; followed by away: to erase, to obliterate. ambitransitive, figuratively

    "The cat’s sharp claws raked the side of my face."

  10. 15
    move through with or as if with a rake wordnet
  11. 16
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; Followed by up: to bring up or uncover (something), as embarrassing information, past misdeeds, etc. ambitransitive, figuratively
  12. 17
    examine hastily wordnet
  13. 18
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; To search through (thoroughly). ambitransitive, figuratively

    "[...] I have added to both of them [language and poetry] in the choice of Words, and Harmony of Numbers which were wanting, [...] One is for raking in [Geoffrey] Chaucer (our Engliſh Ennius) for antiquated Words, which are never to be reviv'd, but when Sound or Significancy is wanting in the preſent Language."

  14. 19
    sweep the length of wordnet
  15. 20
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; To move (a beam of light, a glance with the eyes, etc.) across (something) with a long side-to-side motion; specifically (often military) to use a weapon to fire at (something) with a side-to-side motion; to spray with gunfire. also, ambitransitive, figuratively

    "The enemy machine guns raked the roadway."

  16. 21
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; To move (a beam of light, a glance with the eyes, etc.) across (something) with a long side-to-side motion; specifically (often military) to use a weapon to fire at (something) with a side-to-side motion; to spray with gunfire.; To fire upon an enemy vessel from a position in line with its bow or stern, causing one's fire to travel through the length of the enemy vessel for maximum damage. also, ambitransitive, figuratively
  17. 22
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; To cover (something) by or as if by raking things over it. Ireland, Northern-England, Scotland, also, figuratively, transitive
  18. 23
    To act upon with a rake, or as if with a rake.; To pick (a lock) with a rake.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A village in Rogate parish, Chichester district, West Sussex, England (OS grid ref SU8027). countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A small town in Winnebago County, Iowa, United States, named after a pioneer citizen. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
slantaccrueaim atangularityascendbackset

Example

"Tom wanted to help Mary rake the leaves, but she was using the only rake."

Common questions

What does "rake" mean?

A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting debris, grass, etc., for flattening the ground, or for loosening soil; also, a similar wheel-mounted tool drawn by a horse or a tractor.

What is a synonym for "rake"?

Common synonyms include: slant, accrue, aim at, angularity, ascend, backset.

How do you use "rake" in a sentence?

Tom wanted to help Mary rake the leaves, but she was using the only rake.

How do you pronounce "rake"?

Pronounced /ɹeɪk/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English rake [and other forms], from Old English raca, racu, ræce (“tool with a row of pointed teeth, rake”), from Proto-Germanic *rakō, *rekô (“tool with a row of pointed teeth, rake”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”). Cognates The English word is cognate with Danish rage (chiefly regional), Middle Dutch rāke, rēke (modern Dutch raak, reek (both regional), riek (“pitchfork, rake”)), Middle Low German rāke, racke (modern German Low German Raak (“rake; poker”)), Old High German rehho, rech (Middle High German reche, modern German Rechen (“rake”)), Old Norse reka (“shovel”) (modern Icelandic reka (“shovel”)), Old Saxon recho, Old Swedish raka (modern Swedish raka (“rake; (long) straight section of a road”)).

Etymology 2

The verb is partly derived from rake (“tool with a row of pointed teeth”) (see etymology 1) and from Middle English raken (“to rake; to gather by raking; to rake away (debris); to cover with something; (figurative) to conceal, hide; to destroy”) [and other forms], from Old Norse raka (“to scrape”), from Proto-Germanic *raką, probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”). Cognates The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch rāken (modern Dutch raken (“to rake”) (regional)), Middle Low German rāken, Old Danish raghæ, rakæ (modern Danish rage (“to shave”)), Old Swedish raka (modern Swedish raka (“to rake; to shave”)). The noun is derived from the verb.

Etymology 3

From Middle English rake, rakke (“pass, path, track; type of fencing thrust; pasture land (?)”), and then partly: * probably from Old English racu (“bed of a stream; path; account, narrative; explanation; argument, reasoning; reason”) (compare Old English hrace, hraca, hracu (“gorge”)), from Proto-Germanic *rakō (“path, track; course, direction; an unfolding, unwinding; account, narrative; argument, reasoning”) [and other forms], from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, right oneself”); and * from Old Norse rák (“strip; stripe; furrow; small mountain ravine”), further etymology uncertain but probably ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rakō, as above. Cognates The English word is cognate with Icelandic rák (“streak, stripe; notch in a rock; vein in stone or wood”), Norwegian råk (“channel (in ice); cow path; trail”), Norwegian Nynorsk råk (“channel (in ice); cow path; trail; furrow; stripe”), Swedish råk (“crack or channel in ice; river valley”); and probably cognate with Old Danish rag (modern Danish rag (“stiff; taut”) (regional)), Old Norse rakr (“straight”), Swedish rak (“straight”).

Etymology 4

The verb is derived from Middle English raken (“to go, proceed; to move quickly, hasten, rush; to roam, wander”) [and other forms], from Old English racian (“to go forward, move, run; to hasten; to take a course or direction; to control, direct, govern, rule”), from Proto-West Germanic *rakōn (“to take a course or direction; to run”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten; to direct oneself”). Cognates The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch rāken (“to acquire; to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”) (modern Dutch raken (“to hit (not miss); to touch; to become”)), Middle Low German rāken, rōken (“to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”), Old High German rahhōn (“to narrate, speak”), and probably Swedish raka (“to rush off”). The noun is derived from the verb.

Etymology 5

The origin of the verb is uncertain. The noun is probably derived from the verb. possibly related terms * German ragen (“to rise up out of; to jut or stick out”), from Middle High German ragen (compare Middle Dutch rāgen, Middle Low German rāgen), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erǵʰ- (“to go up, rise”); and * Middle Dutch rāken (“to acquire; to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”) (modern Dutch raken (“to hit (not miss); to touch; to become”)), Middle Low German rāken, rōken (“to hit (not miss); to reach; to touch”), from Proto-Germanic *rakōną (“to take a course or direction; to run”) (see further at etymology 4).

Etymology 6

The noun is a clipping of rakehell (“(archaic) lewd or wanton person, debauchee, rake”), from to rake (out) hell (“to search through hell thoroughly”), in the sense of a person so evil or immoral that they cannot be found in hell even after an extensive search: see rake (“to search through (thoroughly)”). The verb is derived from the noun.

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