English Reference
Idiom idiom

rake over

Meaning

To discuss something unpleasant from the past.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“Please stop raking over our old arguments.”

CONTEXTUAL

“There is no point in raking over the mistakes we made during last year's project.”

COMPLEX

“Despite his desire to move forward, his colleagues insisted on raking over the details of the failed merger, ensuring the past remained a source of tension.”

Anchors to
Related idioms3entries
  1. 01

    rake over the coals

    To call to task or to reprimand severely.

  2. 02

    rake together

    To collect, assemble or gather small amounts (especially of money), from various sources, with some difficulty

  3. 03

    step on a rake

    To fall victim to an avoidable (usually self-caused) hazard or error.

Last updated August 10, 2026