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 decision was made after that brewery’s co-founder was charged with statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in December. —Chase Jordan january 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026

The sentencing disparities for certain crimes are shocking; roughly four out of every five people who are convicted of statutory rape are Native American. —S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026

The Venezuelan man Feliciano's team arrested in November had previously been deported from the United States following a statutory rape conviction. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025

Brigham has been charged with first-degree burglary, statutory rape of a child by an adult, and indecent liberties with a child. —Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 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.