1
: unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against a person's will or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception compare sexual assault, statutory rape
2
: an outrageous violation
3
: an act or instance of robbing or despoiling or carrying away a person by force
raped; raping
raper
noun
Examples of rape in a Sentence
Noun (1)
an international law defining rape as a war crime
the legend of the rape of the Sabine women by the ancient Romans was frequently depicted in classical art
Verb
He is accused of raping the girl.
She was raped by a fellow student.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack Herrera, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2025
Read Next National Child makes 911 call as woman is killed by intruder in Nebraska home, police say
February 10, 2025 8:15 AM
Read Next
National
Man rapes college student then messages her on Instagram, MN cops say.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025
Alleged joke about raping gay soldier In a twist, Worley's reprimand was based not on his political activism, but on his response to the gay soldier’s complaint.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
Shawn Carter participated in repeatedly raping her after the 2000 MTV VMAs.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2025
Among other things Trump objected to, the film included a scene when Trump raped then-wife Ivanka Trump.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Families, in a woefully misguided attempt to protect their shared sense of dignity, murdering their own daughters, sisters, or wives who had been raped.
—Amanda Nguyen, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Later, she was locked in a bedroom in their New York apartment and raped again.
—Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2025
In December of 2023, the University of Illinois immediately suspended basketball player Terrance Shannon after he was charged with raping a woman in Kansas on Sept. 8.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2025
Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 6 Mar. 2025
Four women have also accused Andrew Tate of rape and have filed a civil case against him.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
That announcement on his first day in office gave clemency to more than 1,500 Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists and protesters for their assault on the U.S. Capitol — including some convicted for beating police and with prior convictions for such crimes as rape, manslaughter and domestic violence.
—Bill Hamilton, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2025
As part of a separate investigation, the Tate brothers are wanted by police in the U.K. over allegations of rape, human trafficking and tax evasion.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
However, in April 2024, Weinstein's rape conviction was overturned in N.Y.
Now, Weinstein's elder daughters are living a life out of the public eye, while his younger two children have developed a close bond with Chapman's now-partner, Adrien Brody.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The legal thriller Anatomy of a Murder was no exception, shocking audiences with a courtroom drama filled with graphic discussions of rape.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
James Robison, 29, is charged with two counts of Level 1 felony rape, one count each of criminal confinement, strangulation, intimidation, domestic battery and one misdemeanor.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
The city also recorded 347 rapes in 2024, compared with 364 in 2023; 1,122 robberies last year compared with 1,234 in 2023.
—Meira Gebel, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Hundreds were raped, assaulted, kidnapped, or held for ransom, according to documentation kept by the watchdog organization Human Rights First.
—Jack Herrera, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2025
Read Next National Child makes 911 call as woman is killed by intruder in Nebraska home, police say
February 10, 2025 8:15 AM
Read Next
National
Man rapes college student then messages her on Instagram, MN cops say.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025
Alleged joke about raping gay soldier In a twist, Worley's reprimand was based not on his political activism, but on his response to the gay soldier’s complaint.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
Shawn Carter participated in repeatedly raping her after the 2000 MTV VMAs.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2025
Among other things Trump objected to, the film included a scene when Trump raped then-wife Ivanka Trump.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Families, in a woefully misguided attempt to protect their shared sense of dignity, murdering their own daughters, sisters, or wives who had been raped.
—Amanda Nguyen, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Later, she was locked in a bedroom in their New York apartment and raped again.
—Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2025
In December of 2023, the University of Illinois immediately suspended basketball player Terrance Shannon after he was charged with raping a woman in Kansas on Sept. 8.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
Several celebrities have opened up about their experiences with Diddy, specifically his parties, since the Bad Boy co-founder was accused of rape, assault, and more.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 6 Mar. 2025
Four women have also accused Andrew Tate of rape and have filed a civil case against him.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
That announcement on his first day in office gave clemency to more than 1,500 Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists and protesters for their assault on the U.S. Capitol — including some convicted for beating police and with prior convictions for such crimes as rape, manslaughter and domestic violence.
—Bill Hamilton, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2025
As part of a separate investigation, the Tate brothers are wanted by police in the U.K. over allegations of rape, human trafficking and tax evasion.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
However, in April 2024, Weinstein's rape conviction was overturned in N.Y.
Now, Weinstein's elder daughters are living a life out of the public eye, while his younger two children have developed a close bond with Chapman's now-partner, Adrien Brody.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The legal thriller Anatomy of a Murder was no exception, shocking audiences with a courtroom drama filled with graphic discussions of rape.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
James Robison, 29, is charged with two counts of Level 1 felony rape, one count each of criminal confinement, strangulation, intimidation, domestic battery and one misdemeanor.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
The city also recorded 347 rapes in 2024, compared with 364 in 2023; 1,122 robberies last year compared with 1,234 in 2023.
—Meira Gebel, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rape. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rape
1 of 3 noun
: an herb related to the mustards that is grown for animals to graze on and for its seeds which are used as birdseed and as a source of oil
compare canola
rape
2 of 3 verb
raped; raping
1
archaic
: to take away by force
2
: to have sexual relations with by force
raper
noun
rape
3 of 3 noun
: an act or instance of raping
Etymology
Noun
Middle English rape "the herb rape," from Latin rapa, rapum "turnip, rape"
Verb
Middle English rapen "to take away by force," from Latin rapere "to seize"
Medical Definition
rape
1 of 3 noun
: a European herb (Brassica napus) of the mustard family grown as a forage crop and for its seeds which yield rapeseed oil and are a bird food see canola sense 1
rape
2 of 3 transitive verb
raped; raping
: to commit rape on
rape
3 of 3 noun
: unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent compare sexual assault, statutory rape
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