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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Following the rape, the man's sobbing and about to plunge to his death. Matt Cabral, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2025 The other person who found flaws in Friedmann's rape story was Judge Stephen Dozier. Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025 The filing claims that each of the brothers has been accused of forcible rape by at least 10 women. Liam Quinn, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025 Members of the legislature’s powerful budget-writing committee explicitly approved the use of the money to work through the rape kit back log. Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 19 Feb. 2025 These include the notion that women are responsible when the victim of a rape attack; that men are the protectors of women, who should be subservient; and that men are frequently victims of false rape claims, among other fringe beliefs he’s publicly espoused. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2025 In May 2017, Itō held a press conference, going public with her rape allegation. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025 The number of rapes against children carried out by armed groups, already rampant in the region, has soared in recent weeks, according to UNICEF. Justin Makangara, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025 Kelly faces felony charges of rape, second-degree domestic battery and first-degree terroristic threatening as well as misdemeanor counts of first-degree interfering with emergency communications and violation of a no-contact order, the report states. Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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 One of the women claims to have been raped in a hotel room. Charles Rabin and, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025 The movie, in Bambara, is about a mute girl who becomes pregnant after being raped and is subsequently shunned by her family. Claire Moses, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 She was taken to a field and raped on a mattress by two men who were later identified as Jose Luis Pina-Cruz and Frank Benavidez, officials said. Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 19 Feb. 2025 The university took on the case after a UA student described to authorities being raped by Higgs on Oct. 20 in her dorm room in the Northwest Quad residence hall. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 14 Feb. 2025 Carter, Combs and another woman entered the room and the rappers proceeded to rape her the lawsuit alleged. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2025 Listen to this article The ICE agent impersonator who beat and robbed a 51-year-old Hispanic woman and tried to rape her in a Brooklyn Heights building has been busted, police said Thursday Police identified him as Leon Howell, 43, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2025 But court records say Ford returned, then raped and beat her before shooting her dead.. Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 12 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
  • The hearing stemmed from a defense motion to suppress the investigative genetic genealogy evidence, as the defense argued the testing violated Kohberger’s constitutional rights and its results should be thrown out.
    Eric Levenson, CNN, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Revisiting cases against crypto firms — especially those which violated the SEC's rules but were not alleged to have defrauded investors — has been broadly anticipated.
    Hannah Lang, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 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
  • With three Oilers hustling to get back to defend the rush after Couturier forced a neutral-zone turnover, Michkov feathered a backhand to the front of the net through a maze of sticks to Tippett, who chipped it in.
    Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Image In recent weeks, President Trump has begun carrying out his plan for mass deportations across the nation, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents forcing undocumented immigrants back to their countries of origin.
    Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rape

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!