muckrake noun & verb. ['mʌkreɪk] L17.
[from MUCK noun¹ + RAKE noun¹.]
A. noun. A rake for collecting or sifting through muck (lit. & fig.). L17.
b. verb.
1. verb intrans. Rake refuse together. Chiefly fig., search for evidence of corruption or scandal in order to expose it, esp. among powerful or well-known people or institutions. L19.
Investors Chronicle It was a commendable bit of muck-raking, a sordid story of local government graft.

2. verb trans. Subject (a person or institution) to muckraking. US. E20.

■ muckraker noun (a) a miser; (b) a person who seeks out and exposes scandals etc. about prominent people; (c) a prurient inquirer into private morals: E17.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲