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

The father called the police who arrested the boyfriend because felony statutory rape had been committed in the home. —Christopher A. Combs, The Arizona Republic, 18 Feb. 2025

Federal investigators were also made aware that Daniel had a pending statutory rape charge in Mint Hill, North Carolina, per Fox 8 reporting. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

But 26-year-old Andrew Patrick Kelly did plead no contest to a statutory rape charge and received a two-year probation term, as part of the plea deal with Alameda County prosecutors. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025

The campaign manager of a Miami-Dade mayoral candidate won’t face charges including statutory rape after his 17-year-old accuser recanted his statements to prosecutors, to television interviewers and on social media. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for statutory rape

• agape
• escape
• landscape
• lenape
• reshape
• seascape
• soundscape
• ape
• cape
• crape
• crepe
• drape

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.