fornication

Definition of fornicationnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fornication Songs were also frequently flagged as dance music—while authorities viewed singing as having a proper place in praising God, dancing was totally forbidden as a gateway to fornication. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 9 May 2025 Strong was promoted to Hand of the King after King Viserys banished Otto Hightower from court in the wake of allegations of fornication between Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon. — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 June 2024 Because surely, surely, the housewives of Dublin were not so lustful that chance encounters with tradesmen led immediately to attacks of passion and fornication? — Mary Costello, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023 Cleon is in the throes of hot, sweaty fornication with his robot aid, Laura Birn's Eto, when a group of assassins infiltrate his quarters and attack. — Nick Romano, EW.com, 10 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fornication
Noun
  • In April, he was charged with one count of kidnapping to commit another crime, one count of first degree residential robbery, two counts of forcible oral copulation and one count of rape, The Times reported.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • More than likely, based on Golden State statutes, the eight years Weinstein received for the forcible oral copulation conviction will be reduced by a couple of years.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Stanton hooked up with a grad student named Moira, a Slovenian with dark hair and novel takes on both Internal Energy Market rules and plein-air coitus.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • What this means for me, practically speaking, is that the director wants a close-up of my face as my character Joe is deep in dissociative reverie mid-coitus.
    — Sophie Ansari, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Against the sounds of traffic, the groups hear pigeon mating sounds and babies squeaking for food.
    — KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Males perform complex mating flights in the late summer months and into fall (August through October) which often involve intercepting prospective partners mid-air.
    — Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • But the course of the hunt itself is unnameable and uncontrollable, like coition.
    — Roberto Calasso, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2020
Noun
  • The Museum of Modern Art rejected her films because of their depictions of lesbian lovemaking, Hammer claimed in an archival recording included by O’Connor.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In those seconds a number of things could’ve happened, even a détente resulting in lovemaking, but nothing did.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Pilots from states without diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Oman, are in theory prohibited from landing in Israel.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Cheeks got his first formal assignment on the creative side — and showed his talent relations skills — when, as EVP Business Operations for NBC and Universal TV, he was put in charge of NBC Late Night in 2014.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fornication.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fornication. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!