statutory rape

noun

: sexual intercourse with a person who is below the statutory age of consent

Examples of statutory rape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this month, Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, classifying the case as statutory rape. —Carlos Valdez and Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024

Advocates warn that parents can also utilize child marriages for trafficking or hiding statutory rape, per a Tahirih Justice Center report. —Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024

Polanski has been shadowed by another statutory rape case for decades. —Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024

Before the bill went to a vote, Boyd shared, publicly for the first time, her own story of being conceived when her teenage mother was the victim of a statutory rape. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

statutory rape

noun

stat·​u·​to·​ry rape ˌstach-ə-ˌtōr-ē- 

: sexual intercourse with a person who is below the age of consent as defined by law

Legal Definition

statutory rape

noun

: rape consisting of sexual intercourse with a person beneath an age (as 14 years) specified by statute

Note: Many state statutes also specify a minimum age of the perpetrator or an age differential (as at least four years) between the perpetrator and the victim. Consent of the victim and belief that the victim is of the age of consent are usually considered immaterial. Statutory rape is now codified under various names, such as rape in the second degree, rape in the third degree, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and criminal sexual conduct in the second degree.