from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Rake \Rake\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Raked} (r[=a]kt); p. pr. & vb.
n. {Raking}.] [AS. racian. See 1st {Rake}.]
1. To collect with a rake; as, to rake hay; -- often with up;
as, he raked up the fallen leaves.
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2. Hence: 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.
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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.
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4. To search through; to scour; to ransack.
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The statesman rakes the town to find a plot.
--Swift.
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5. To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and
lightly, as a rake does.
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Like clouds that rake the mountain summits.
--Wordsworth.
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6. (Mil.) 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.
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{To rake up}.
(a) To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and
cover with ashes.
(b) To bring up; to search out and bring to notice again;
as, to rake up old scandals.
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