Rake /(rāk)/

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. A toothed machine drawn by a horse, -- used for collecting hay or grain; a horserake.
3. A fissure or mineral vein traversing the strata vertically, or nearly so; -- called also rake-vein. (Mining)

imp. & p. p. Raked; p. pr. & vb. n. Raking

1. To collect with a rake; as, to rake hay; -- often with up; as, he raked up the fallen leaves.
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. 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. To search through; to scour; to ransack.

   The statesman rakes the town to find a plot.

5. To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and lightly, as a rake does.

   Like clouds that rake the mountain summits.

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.)

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.

2. To pass with violence or rapidity; to scrape along.

   Pas could not stay, but over him did rake.

1. The inclination of anything from a perpendicular direction; as, the rake of a roof, a staircase, etc. (Naut.)

1. To incline from a perpendicular direction; as, a mast rakes aft.

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.

1. To walk about; to gad or ramble idly. [Prov. Eng.]
2. To act the rake; to lead a dissolute, debauched life.