Raked

Raked is a word with several related uses in English. As the past tense of rake, it describes the act of gathering or removing debris, leaves, or other loose material with a rake. For example, one might say that leaves were raked from the yard. The verb can also apply more generally to drawing or sweeping material into a pile or toward a collection point with a rake.

As an adjective, raked denotes something that is inclined or sloped. In architecture and theater, a raked floor or raked seating is designed with a slope to improve visibility. A raked stage, for instance, rises toward the back to help audience members see performers, while raked seating elevates rows to maintain sightlines over the heads of people in front.

In gambling and related contexts, rake refers to the house commission taken from pots in certain games. The past-tense form is sometimes used informally to describe a pot that has been taken by the house, as in “the pot was raked.”

In horticulture, surveying, and other trades, the term may appear in phrases describing inclined surfaces or methods of working that involve tilting or angling tools and materials. The term is most commonly encountered in the core senses of performing a rake action, describing slope, or referring to the house takings in a gambling setting.