ravish

verb

rav·​ish ˈra-vish 

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

: rape entry 1 sense 1

2

: plunder, rob

ravisher noun

ravishment

ˈra-vish-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• delight
• enthral
• please
• enrapture
• fascinate
• satisfy
• enchant
• enthrall
• entrance
• transport
• rapture
• carry away

Examples of ravish in a Sentence

invaders guilty of murdering and ravishing villagers

travelers have long been ravished with wonder and awe by the immensity of the Great Pyramid at Giza

Recent Examples on the Web

Thousands of onlookers gathered in the streets outside the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills as Taylor—then just 18 and ravishing in yards of white satin encrusted with seed pearls—raced to the ceremony. —Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025

Among them were countless era-defining releases that are still among the best movies ever made—of any genre—from the haunting Rebecca to the gripping Rear Window, and the ravishing Vertigo to the hair-raising Psycho. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2025

But each night, Hero’s stories before bedtime prove so entrancing that Manfred fails to go through with any seducing, let alone ravishing. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

Go around and ravish each other, lovers. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ravisshen "to seize forcefully, plunder, carry away, carry off (a woman) in order to sexually assault her, seize as prey, carry up (into heaven), enrapture, sweep along," borrowed from Anglo-French raviss-, stem of ravir (also continental Old & Middle French), going back to Vulgar Latin *rapīre, re-formation of Latin rapere "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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for ravish

• lavish

Kids Definition

ravish

verb

rav·​ish ˈrav-ish 

1

: to seize and take away by violence

2

: rape sense 2

3

: to overcome with a feeling and especially a feeling of joy or delight

ravisher noun

Legal Definition

ravish

transitive verb

rav·​ish ˈra-vish 

: rape

ravishment noun

Etymology

Middle English, to seize and take away by violence, from Middle French raviss-, stem of ravir, ultimately from Latin rapere to seize, rob