1 B1 neutral
To remove ashes, cinders, or debris from a fireplace, grate, or similar space by raking.
"She raked out the ashes from the woodburner before setting a new fire."
separable
rake out
B2 neutral separable transitive
To clear out ashes, debris, or other material by raking; or to search through something thoroughly.
In plain English
To scrape out the old stuff from something, like clearing a fireplace.
What does "rake out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To search through a place or collection of things to find something.
"He spent the afternoon raking out the old boxes in the garage looking for his passport."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
Using a rake to pull material out of an enclosed space.
Actually means
To scrape out the old stuff from something, like clearing a fireplace.
Usage tip
Most commonly used in the literal sense of clearing ashes from a fireplace or grate. Also used for clearing a garden bed. Less common than related phrasal verbs like 'rake up.' Rare in figurative use.
Words that pair with "rake out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
ashes grate fireplace debris leaves soil
How to conjugate "rake out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rake out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rakes out
he/she/it
Past simple
raked out
yesterday
Past participle
raked out
have + pp
-ing form
raking out
continuous
Hear "rake out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rake out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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