SINCE 1828
ravish
verb
rav·ish
| \ ˈra-vish
\
\
ravished;
ravishing;
ravishes
Definition of ravish
1a
: to seize and take away by violence
b
: to overcome with emotion (such as joy or delight)
ravished by the scenic beauty
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from ravish
ravisher
noun
ravishment
\ ˈra-vish-mənt
\
noun
\
noun
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 on the Web
Set during China’s Three Kingdoms era (A.D. 220-280), this action extravaganza ravishes the retina with only a narrow segment of spectrum. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Shadow’ Review: Not Everything Is Black and White," 2 May 2019 Valentino Haute Couture also provided Tessa Thompson with a definitive go-big-or-go-home dress in ravishing chartreuse. — Edward Barsamian, Vogue, "10 Best Dressed: Week of December 3, 2018," 3 Dec. 2018 Little served only three months in jail after being convicted of assault with the intent to ravish-rape for the crime in December 1976. — Kyle Swenson, The Seattle Times, "Elderly prisoner claims he’s America’s deadliest serial killer with 90 victims. Police believe him.," 20 Nov. 2018 On a lightning visit to Venice almost two decades ago, I was swept into the magic of the Hotel Gritti Palace, a 14th-century Venetian Gothic palazzo converted, back in the 1940s, into a ravishing small hotel. — Jean Bond Rafferty, Town & Country, "Dispatches from the Renaissance," 17 Dec. 2012 Fans who tune in to be ravished by the show’s psychedelia and then dissect it on Reddit will be satisfied, and skeptics who see Hawley as a mascot for the excesses of peak TV may still do so. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Does Legion Have a Soul?," 4 Apr. 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. — 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 2018These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for ravish
ravish
verb
rav·ish
| \ ˈra-vish
\
\
ravished;
ravishing
Kids Definition of ravish
1
: to seize and take away by force
2
: to fill with joy or delight
ravish
transitive verb
rav·ish
| \ ˈra-vish
\
\
Legal Definition of ravish
: rape
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on ravish
What made you want to look up ravish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Finance Words Quiz
-
- The etymology of mortgage is related most closely to which two words?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share ravish
Resources for ravish