fornication

noun

Definition of fornicationnext
as in sex

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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 The Fifth Street School Apartments, at Dr. William Finlayson Street and West Christine Street, was a revolving door for dangerous activities: drug use, theft, non-tenants sleeping in the hallways, and even public fornication. — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 16 Feb. 2026 Having struck out with Nicholas, Laura is forced to return to her old tactics: impeding fornication. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025 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 If the apparent maidservant was actually a man committing fornication that might lead to another servant’s falling pregnant, then Hall was a materially destabilizing influence in the community. — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024 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
  1. copulation
  2. coitus
  3. intercourse
  4. mating
  5. coition
  6. lovemaking
  7. relations
Noun
  • 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
  • After spending close to seven years in prison, Weinstein, 74, has still served less than half of his 16-year-sentence in California, where he was found guilty of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by foreign object against Jane Doe 1.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
Definition of copulation
Noun
  • 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
  • When coitus occurs, it’s scored by unctuous music.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of coitus
Noun
  • After intercourse, the teenager had snapped photos of her naked body on a futon as evidence.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 16 July 2026
  • The two counts of rape Høiby was convicted of did not involve intercourse.
    — Gwladys Fouche, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Definition of intercourse
Noun
  • In four-day periods every year from March to August, legions of small, silver fish called grunion ride the waves ashore for mating rituals, beginning on the nights of the full and new moons.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • More prominent in males, these pincers are primarily used for defense and mating displays.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 July 2026
Definition of mating
Noun
  • But the course of the hunt itself is unnameable and uncontrollable, like coition.
    — Roberto Calasso, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2020
Definition of coition
Noun
  • The tension finally boils over when Joe accuses them of being inconsiderate neighbors with their loud lovemaking.
    — Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The two wind up crossing paths again and hooking up much more intensely, in a sweaty and passionate bout of lovemaking that sets the stage for a true romance.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Definition of lovemaking
Noun
  • Announced during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the kingdom last week, the deal follows a thawing of bilateral relations after a years-long diplomatic rift over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 14 July 2026
  • This is the only New Moon all year that offers you a chance to think about how to improve your home and relations with family.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 14 July 2026
Definition of relations

Browse Nearby Words

fornicating
fornication
for real
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Cite this Entry

“Fornication.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fornication. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fornication

Nglish: Translation of fornication for Spanish Speakers

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