molest

verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈlest 

molested; molesting; molests

transitive verb

1

: to make unwanted or improper sexual advances towards (someone)

especially : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (someone)

He was sent to prison for molesting children.

2

somewhat old-fashioned : to annoy, disturb, or persecute (a person or animal) especially with hostile intent or injurious effect

Who doth molest my contemplation?

—Shakespeare

Bees flew past him, bees flew into him, bees settled upon his coat, bees paused questioningly in front of him … but not a single bee molested him.

—P. G. Wodehouse

At a hearing last week, activists persuaded the commission that the porcupines were being chased, molested and "worried" for human amusement.

—Kelli Anderson

molestation

ˌmō-ˌle-ˈstā-shən 

ˌmä-

-lə-

noun

molester

mə-ˈle-stər 

noun

Examples of molest in a Sentence

He was sent to jail for molesting children.

It was illegal to molest, capture, or kill any of the animals in the park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors said Zakrzewski molested 16 of the boys and showed pornography to the 17th. —Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023

Elsewhere in the interview, Jeezy spoke about being molested during his childhood by a babysitter. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 8 Nov. 2023

In one case, the suit states a 15-year-old girl was removed from her home by DCS after being raped and molested by her stepfather. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Aug. 2023

The misdemeanors include selling alcohol to minors and annoying or molesting a child younger than 18. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023

The priest hadn’t technically molested anyone and thus didn’t violate the Orange diocese’s zero-tolerance policy. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023

Police said the boys — who were ages 7, 8 and 11 at the time — were molested between July and December of last year, with each incident occurring at the victims’ homes. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2023

In June, Robert Hadden, a longtime former OB-GYN at Columbia University in New York, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for molesting patients over decades. —Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2023

Many victims were molested multiple times, per the complaint. —Christina Coulter, Fox News, 8 Oct. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French molester, from Latin molestare, from molestus burdensome, annoying; akin to Latin moles mass

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

molest

verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈləst 

1

: to injure or disturb by interfering : annoy

2

: to make unwelcome sexual advances to

especially : to force physical sexual contact on

molestation

ˌmōl-ˌes-ˈtā-shən 

ˌmōl-əs-

ˌmäl-ˌes-

noun

molester

mə-ˈles-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

molest

transitive verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈlest 

1

: to annoy, disturb, or persecute especially with hostile intent or injurious effect

2

: to make annoying sexual advances to

specifically : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (as a child)

molestation

ˌmō-ˌles-ˈtā-shən, ˌmä-, -ləs- 

noun

molester noun