rapes; raped; raping
: to force (someone) to have sex with you by using violence or the threat of violence
He is accused of raping the girl.
She was raped by a fellow student.
plural rapes
1
: the crime of forcing someone to have sex with you by using violence or the threat of violence
He has been charged with (committing) rape.
There has been a decrease in the number of reported rapes.
a rape trial [=the trial of someone who has been accused of rape]
rape victims
2
literary
: the act of ruining or destroying something
—usually + of
the rape of the land
the rape of privacy
: a plant that is grown as food for farm animals and as a source of oil
rape oil
called also (chiefly British) rapeseed
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/rape. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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