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Entry 16 senses · 7 variants Webster, 1913

Rake

/(rāk)/ · IPA /ɹeɪk/
01 n. An implement consisting of a headpiece having teeth, and a long handle at right angles to it, -- used for collecting hay, or other light th…
  1. 1.
    An implement consisting of a headpiece having teeth, and a long handle at right angles to it, -- used for collecting hay, or other light things which are spread over a large surface, or for breaking and smoothing the earth.
  2. 2.
    A toothed machine drawn by a horse, -- used for collecting hay or grain; a horserake.
  3. 3.
    A fissure or mineral vein traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so; -- called also rake-vein.(Mining) Also: rake-vein
Phrases & compounds
Gill rakes — See under 1st Gill.
02 v. t. To collect with a rake; as, to rake hay; -- often with up; as, he raked up the fallen leaves.
imp. & p. p. Raked; p. pr. & vb. n. Raking
  1. 1.
    To collect with a rake; as, to rake hay; -- often with up; as, he raked up the fallen leaves.
  2. 2.
    To collect or draw together with laborious industry; to gather from a wide space; to scrape together; as, to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town.
  3. 3.
    To pass a rake over; to scrape or scratch with a rake for the purpose of collecting and clearing off something, or for stirring up the soil; as, to rake a lawn; to rake a flower bed.
  4. 4.
    To search through; to scour; to ransack.
    “The statesman rakes the town to find a plot.” — Swift.
  5. 5.
    To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and lightly, as a rake does.
    “Like clouds that rake the mountain summits.” — Wordsworth.
  6. 6.
    To enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of; in naval engagements, to cannonade, as a ship, on the stern or head so that the balls range the whole length of the deck.(Mil.)
Phrases & compounds
To rake up — To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and cover with ashes
03 v. i. To use a rake, as for searching or for collecting; to scrape; to search minutely.
  1. 1.
    To use a rake, as for searching or for collecting; to scrape; to search minutely.
    “One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words.” — Dryden.
  2. 2.
    To pass with violence or rapidity; to scrape along.
    “Pas could not stay, but over him did rake.” — Sir P. Sidney.
04 n. The inclination of anything from a perpendicular direction; as, the rake of a roof, a staircase, etc.
  1. 1.
    The inclination of anything from a perpendicular direction; as, the rake of a roof, a staircase, etc.(Naut.)
05 v. i. To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft.
  1. 1.
    To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft.
Phrases & compounds
Raking course — a course of bricks laid diagonally between the face courses in a thick wall, to strengthen it.
06 n. A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a person addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices; a debauchee; a roué.
  1. 1.
    A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a person addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices; a debauchee; a roué.
    “An illiterate and frivolous old rake.” — Macaulay.
07 v. i. To walk about; to gad or ramble idly.
  1. 1.
    To walk about; to gad or ramble idly.[Prov. Eng.]
  2. 2.
    To act the rake; to lead a dissolute, debauched life.
Phrases & compounds
To rake out — to fly too far and wide from its master while hovering above waiting till the game is sprung; -- said of the hawk.