rape

verb

raped; raping

transitive verb

1

: to commit rape on

2

a

: despoil

b

archaic : to seize and take away by force

raper noun

Synonyms of rape

• violate
• assault
• force

Examples of rape in a Sentence

He is accused of raping the girl.

She was raped by a fellow student.

Recent Examples on the Web

Raymond Lunn, 31, has been held in prison without bond since his arrest in October 2025 after nearly raping a student at JHU. —Cbs Baltimore Staff, CBS News, 7 June 2026

John Bennett was put to death after being convicted of raping and attempting to murder an 11-year-old girl. —Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026

Timothy Hennis, a former master sergeant who worked on parachutes in the 82nd Airborne Division, was convicted in 1986 in North Carolina state court of raping a woman and murdering her and two of her daughters. —Steve Beynon, ABC News, 6 June 2026

Nuñez then began raping her while Jones stuffed rocks in her mouth to try to stop her from screaming, detectives said in the report. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026

Courossi also argued that some of the women’s action after the encounters weren’t consistent with being raped. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026

My sister had been named for a girl raped by Zeus, god of all gods, who turned himself into a swan for the occasion. —Literary Hub, 3 June 2026

The 2002 novel, later adapted into a much less effective 2009 movie directed by Peter Jackson, is about a teenage girl who gets raped and murdered by a serial killer. —Jen Chaney, Vulture, 3 June 2026

The statement from Romania's anti-terrorism organization, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, also alleged that one of the defendants raped a woman twice in March 2022. —Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rapen "to abduct a woman with the intent of sexually assaulting her," borrowed from Anglo-French raper, borrowed from Medieval Latin rapiō, rapere "to seize and carry off, abduct a woman with of the intent of sexually assaulting her," going back to Latin, "to seize and carry off, take away by force, carry off a woman with the intent of sexually assaulting her, carry or sweep along, impel forcibly (to a course of conduct), snatch up, gather quickly" — more at rapid entry 1

Note: The verb rapen in its predominant modern sense is rare in Middle English, the more common verb meaning "to rape" being ravisshen "to ravish." The Middle English Dictionary lists rapen with a meaning "to carry off, transport (the soul to heaven)," but all forms cited are for a past participle rapt, rapte, which appears to have been borrowed directly from Medieval Latin raptus, past participle of rapere in this sense (see rapt). See also the note at rape entry 1.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Phrases Containing rape

• acquaintance rape
• anti-rape
• date rape
• date rape drug
• gang rape
• oilseed rape
• statutory rape

Rhymes for rape

• ape
• cape
• crape
• crepe
• drape
• gape
• grape
• pape
• scape
• scrape
• shape
• snape

Kids Definition

rape

1 of 3 noun

ˈrāp 

: an herb related to the mustards that is grown for animals to graze on and for its seeds which are used as birdseed and as a source of oil

compare canola

rape

2 of 3 verb

raped; raping

1

archaic : to take away by force

2

: to have sexual relations with by force

raper noun

rapist

ˈrā-pəst 

noun

rape

3 of 3 noun

: an act or instance of raping

Etymology

Middle English rape "the herb rape," from Latin rapa, rapum "turnip, rape"

Middle English rapen "to take away by force," from Latin rapere "to seize"

Medical Definition

rape

1 of 3 noun

ˈrāp 

: a European herb (Brassica napus) of the mustard family grown as a forage crop and for its seeds which yield rapeseed oil and are a bird food see canola sense 1

rape

2 of 3 transitive verb

raped; raping

: to commit rape on

rape

3 of 3 noun

: unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent compare sexual assault, statutory rape

Legal Definition

rape

1 of 2 transitive verb

raped; raping

: to commit rape on

raper noun

rapist noun

rape

2 of 2 noun

: unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception see also statutory rape

Note: The common-law crime of rape involved a man having carnal knowledge of a woman not his wife through force and against her will, and required at least slight penetration of the penis into the vagina. While some states maintain essentially this definition of rape, most have broadened its scope especially in terms of the sex of the persons and the nature of the acts involved. Marital status is usually irrelevant. Moreover, the crime is codified under various names, including first degree sexual assault, sexual battery, unlawful sexual intercourse, and first degree sexual abuse.

Etymology

Latin rapere to seize and take away by force