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Examples of acquaintance rape in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reporting acquaintance rape—rape committed by someone like a colleague, intimate partner, or friend—can be particularly difficult because victims are often reluctant to label their experience as rape.
—Hahna Yoon, SELF, 31 Aug. 2020
Most rapes are acquaintance rapes, and most of these do not have the hallmarks of what many, even in 2019, consider rape rape — abduction or roofies or knives at the throat.
—Steph Cha, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2019
Years of research on acquaintance rape have, furthermore, debunked the misperception that most assailants are strangers with knives in dark alleys or home invaders who climb into bedrooms through open windows.
—Time, 3 Sep. 2019
In the 2014 comic, Trigger Warning: Breakfast, an anonymous woman writes about an acquaintance rape.
—Marissa Korbel, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Apr. 2018
Cosby's defense team argued that O'Neill should have recused himself from the retrial because his wife is a clinical social worker whose dissertation focused on acquaintance rape.
—Eric Levenson, CNN, 8 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acquaintance rape.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1974, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of acquaintance rape was
in 1974
Dictionary Entries Near acquaintance rape
Cite this Entry
“Acquaintance rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquaintance%20rape. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Medical Definition
acquaintance rape
noun
ac·quain·tance rape
ə-ˈkwānt-ᵊn(t)s-
: rape committed by someone known to the victim
Legal Definition
acquaintance rape
noun
: rape committed by someone known to the victim
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