rape 1 of 2

1
as in violation
the act of forcing a person to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse an international law defining rape as a war crime

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2
as in kidnaping
the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal the legend of the rape of the Sabine women by the ancient Romans was frequently depicted in classical art

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rape

2 of 2

verb

as in to violate
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent the defendant accused of raping the victim

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rape
Noun
In 2018, he was accused of rape by a woman who worked as his children's former nanny in 2018. EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025 McAndrews, who wrote her master’s thesis on rape revenge films, quickly understood Alvey’s fresh vision. William Earl, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025 Karkar was booked at the San Francisco County Jail on charges of rape by force or violence, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree robbery, and damaging a wireless communication device. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025 In the years leading up to U.S. involvement in the Pacific, the Imperial Japanese Army did deplorable things in China that amounted to mass murder, as well as rape, torture, medical experimentation, and forced labor. Kevin Chroust, Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2025 On December 26, Torres refused Jay-Z's application to dismiss the rape lawsuit. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 Reports of rape increased by nearly 19%, the report said. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025 In a year where Diddy was public enemy No. 1 for his allegations, lawsuits, and eventual arrest, JAY-Z also found himself in the mix via a rape lawsuit filed in December 2024. Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 Jan. 2025 Always a controversial figure, reports of Brand's alleged rape and assaults pushed him permanently out of public grace. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
Read Next National Stranger broke into home, raped mom in 1992, Virginia officials say. Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 7 Feb. 2025 At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said, citing officials in the central African nation. Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025 An investigation initiated after their deaths discovered that Pearce had raped several women across more than a decade. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2025 The arrest warrant said that even six months later, a Sandbar bartender recalled the woman coming back into the bar, asking for water and saying she’d been raped by a man in a white car. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2025 Hundreds of women were raped and burned to death after a mass jailbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following the seizure of a major city by militants. Nicole Acosta, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025 Detectives on Tuesday arrested a man accused of repeatedly raping a 5-year-old girl in Staten Island, police said. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025 In an ideal world, the findings from Cleveland and Detroit would incentivize law enforcement to pay more serious attention to the allegations of, say, a woman who was raped by a friend at a party after a night of heavy drinking. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 To summarize the film, a young couple — Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) — is on a trip with friends when Iris is nearly raped by another man, Sergey (played by Rupert Friend). William Earl, Variety, 1 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
  • Since this was a probation violation, Einstein was sent back to jail.
    Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
  • The consequences for violations are not clearly spelled out, but the ban is broader and took effect sooner than the deadline under the California Phone-Free Schools Act.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey was among those saying the group had not violated any laws.
    Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Investigators subsequently tracked down and arrested Nathan on a charge of violating an injunction barring contact with the child and her mother.
    David J. Neal and, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.
    Jacky Wong, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
  • Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.
    Reuters, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2023
Noun
  • Mary was also missing at this time, mentioned as a possible abduction victim on the Amber Alert, per the Miami Herald.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Source: Mongabay The Brussels Court of Appeal ordered the government to compensate five multiracial victims of colonial abductions Belgium ruled what are now the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda from 1908 to 1960.
    Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • When Alma’s inventor is murdered, Salia and Zem, two cops from different zones who are polar opposites, are forced to collaborate on the investigation.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025
  • But he was forced to cash them in a decade ago to pay a large dental bill.
    Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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