ravish

verb rav·ish \ ˈra-vish \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: ravish in a Sentence

Definition of ravish

ravished; ravishing; ravishes

transitive verb

1 a : to seize and take away by violence

b : to overcome with emotion (such as joy or delight)

ravished by the scenic beauty

c : ¹rape 1

2 : plunder, rob

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ravisher

noun

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ravishment

play \ˈra-vish-mənt\ noun

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Examples of ravish in a Sentence

tales of Caribbean pirates who abducted fair maidens and ravished them without mercy
travelers have long been ravished with wonder and awe by the immensity of the Great Pyramid at Giza

Recent Examples of ravish from the Web

Violence, famine and disease have ravished the country of some 28 million, which was already the Arab world’s poorest before the conflict began.

— Washington Post, "War leaves Yemen’s Aden hollowed-out shadow of former self," 14 June 2018
Violence, famine and disease have ravished the country of some 28 million, which was already the Arab world's poorest before the conflict began.

— Fox News, "War leaves Yemen's Aden hollowed-out shadow of former self," 14 June 2018
Lucy Crowe brought ravishing brilliance to the peri.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "'Das Paradies': A giant globular tear as ticket to heaven," 4 June 2018
Consider the centuries of ravishing Catholic artworks: medieval altarpieces, Raphael Madonnas, the stained glass at Chartres.

— rhonda garelick, The Cut, "The Met’s ‘Heavenly Bodies’ Show Is Worth the Pilgrimage," 10 May 2018
Also on view are Kusama's ravishing early abstractions on paper from the 1950s and '60s, characterized by deeply nuanced textures and abstract forms.

— steven litt, cleveland.com, "Kusama 'Infinity Mirrors' show in Toronto offers preview of what's coming to Cleveland (photos)," 6 May 2018
Perez invested Marguerite’s music with ravishing delicacy and grace, and had no trouble summoning full-toned intensity for the character’s emotionally fraught scenes later in the opera.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Splendid cast gives Gounod his due in muddled 'Faust' at Lyric Opera," 4 Mar. 2018
The country superstar looked ravishing in red in a flowing gown with a cut-out, sequined bodice.

— melody chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Miranda Lambert Is Ravishing in Red as She Hits the ACMs Solo After Anderson East Split," 15 Apr. 2018
August and September are best for bear viewing, and April is ravishing for short inland excursions: there is still snow, and there are few visitors.

— sophy roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, "Exploring Kamchatka, Russia's Adventure Playground," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ravish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ravish

Middle English ravisshen, from Anglo-French raviss-, stem of ravir, from Vulgar Latin *rapire, alteration of Latin rapere to seize, rob — more at rapid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year