muckraker
(US) One who investigates and exposes issues of corruption that often violate widely held values; e.g.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1906 · 1 year of recorded useDefinitions
(US) One who investigates and exposes issues of corruption that often violate widely held values; e.g. one who exposes political corruption or the poor conditions in prisons.
Comments
(US, historical) One of a group of American investigative reporters, novelists and critics of the Progressive Era (the 1890s to the 1920s).
"Oh, in many ways. There are two classes of people who are not welcomed on the Canal Zone—magazine writers and applicants for positions who have political influence back of them. The former are regarded as muckrakers, the latter as spies."
Comments
(British, derogatory) A sensationalist, scandalmongering journalist, one who is not driven by any social principles.
"Lady," says he, "the goil's nutty! You got a bughouse patient on your bands! This here talk about the white-slave traffic, ma'am… it's all the work o' these magazine muckrakers!"
“Muckraker Mace. Not saying this didn't need investigation. Just saying it didn't need investigation by her. Must be election time.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "muckraker".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "muckraker" (M)
Browse all slang words starting with M.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- mucker63%
A person who removes muck (waste, debris, broken rock, etc.), especially from a mine, construction site, or stable.
- muckamuck60%
(countable, colloquial, sometimes, derogatory, originally, US) A person in a position of power or authority, or of high status.
- mudlark58%
(now, rare, chiefly, historical) One who scavenges in river or harbor mud for items of value, especially in London.