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
According to the publication, Selena then took Saldívar to the hospital for examination, where doctors found no evidence of rape. Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025 Last year, Donald Trump sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos after the anchor inaccurately stated on-air that Trump had been found liable for rape. Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025 Among the film’s interviewees are two former nuns at the school and the abbot who supervised several of the priests accused of rape and murder. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2025 The calls include 219 for welfare checks, 114 for suspicious subjects or vehicles, 57 for suicidal subjects or attempts, 54 for trespassing, 53 for fights, 46 for narcotics, 12 for fraud and nine for rape. Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 26 Mar. 2025 Prior to his confirmation, Hegseth was accused of rape and seriously abusing alcohol. David Matthews, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025 Every victim is forgotten because to remember - the rapes and child abductions in Ukraine - is to take on responsibility and therefore to begin worrying. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025 The fear of rape remains for women who leave the camps for firewood or other needs. Sam Mednick, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025 Contra Costa County prosecutors have charged Eric Ferguson, 49, with forcible rape in the April 2, 2002, attack near Laurel Road in Oakley, according to court documents. Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
Earlier in the episode, Whitfield and Lindy violate Mabel — then pour hot coffee on her — before Whitfield pushes her down on the breakfast table and rapes her. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Apr. 2025 The lawsuit, filed by a Jane Doe accuser, alleged that Way first raped her in a bathroom during a police raid in February 2019. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 4 Apr. 2025 Thousands of men and women came forward to say they had been molested or raped by probation officials decades ago while incarcerated as children in the county’s sprawling network of juvenile halls and camps. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025 In 2023, Tacopina would join Trump’s legal team in the civil case brought against the president by journalist E. Jean Carroll, who claimed that Trump rape her in the mid-1990s. Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025 Prosecutors say the brothers used their wealth and celebrity in the high-end real estate brokerage world to lure women on trips throughout the U.S. and abroad, often drugging the women before they were raped. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025 While on her way to visit her sister, Philomela is deceived and raped by Tereus, her brother-in-law. Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025 On parallel lines, Combs is facing claims of raping minors, among many others. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025 The subpoena stems from the former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon previously accusing Simmons in a New York Times piece of raping her in his apartment back in 1995. Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
  • Executive director Nick Turner told the Bangor Daily News the show hoped to have other characters on stage reference the two Black characters the musical is missing without showing the pair, but was warned that altering the musical’s licensed script would constitute a contract violation .
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
  • His attorneys and family have rejected the government’s claims, calling his detention unjust and a violation of due process.
    Hanna Park, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Not the least of which is that the terms of the settlement clearly violate antitrust law, which was the grounds for the lawsuit in the first place.
    Joe Sabin, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Earlier in the episode, Whitfield and Lindy violate Mabel — then pour hot coffee on her — before Whitfield pushes her down on the breakfast table and rapes her.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Apr. 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
  • In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
    Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab, which was tracking the abductions, had counted more than 30,000 children taken from Ukraine to Russia and Belarus since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
    Edward Wong, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • However, no amount of care or good intentions can prevent the sudden demolition of the brothers’ home, courtesy of a vague order from the IDF — for which the family is even forced to pay.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Due to the alligator's aggressive behavior, Department of Natural Resources contractors were forced to euthanize the reptile and remove it from the area.
    Doc Louallen, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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