1
as in violation
the act of forcing a person to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse
an international law defining rape as a war crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in kidnaping
the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal
the legend of the rape of the Sabine women by the ancient Romans was frequently depicted in classical art
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 rape
Peter Wilkinson, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
As of 2025, Tate is under multiple investigations for human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Last month, a Salt Lake County jury convicted the same man on a separate rape charge stemming from a December 2008 incident.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
The trial for an Excelsior Springs man accused of rape, kidnapping, and murder in a high-profile case involving missing Black women has been postponed until next year, according to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Decades of research into how rape is reported and investigated has driven lawmakers outside of Massachusetts to extend their statutes of limitations.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
While released, Horton committed another horrific crime – a brutal home invasion and rape.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Mazzei's ruling pointed out that whole genome sequencing was also used to solve the 1982 cold case rape and murder of 9-year-old Daralyn Johnson in Idaho, resulting in two consecutive life sentences for David Allen Dalrymple.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Charged in 1998 with the rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in Back of the Yards, Fidel Urbina evaded capture until 2016, when he was arrested by Mexican federal authorities on a U.S. extradition warrant.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Perkins had accused Dunmire of raping her, but no charges were ever filed against him, according to Cleveland 19 News.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 11 Sep. 2025
That victim was picked up in Boston’s North End, then stabbed and raped in suburban Wellesley.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
And rewatch the short videos on consent he had been required to watch in orientation just six weeks before raping Emily.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
Then he gets raped with a red-hot poker.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
She is raped, half-drunk, at a party and bites off a piece of her attacker’s ear.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
Further flashbacks show when Davina was first raped by Lovat and the resulting birth of her own son, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), aka the father of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
In one instance, when the girl tried to leave, Rivera-Villarreal allegedly held the girl down, put his hands over her mouth and forcibly raped her, according to officials.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
The man, who has been identified by media as Christian Brueckner, had been serving a seven-year sentence that stemmed from his 2019 conviction for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal.
—Peter Wilkinson, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
As of 2025, Tate is under multiple investigations for human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Last month, a Salt Lake County jury convicted the same man on a separate rape charge stemming from a December 2008 incident.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
The trial for an Excelsior Springs man accused of rape, kidnapping, and murder in a high-profile case involving missing Black women has been postponed until next year, according to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
—Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Decades of research into how rape is reported and investigated has driven lawmakers outside of Massachusetts to extend their statutes of limitations.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
While released, Horton committed another horrific crime – a brutal home invasion and rape.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Mazzei's ruling pointed out that whole genome sequencing was also used to solve the 1982 cold case rape and murder of 9-year-old Daralyn Johnson in Idaho, resulting in two consecutive life sentences for David Allen Dalrymple.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Charged in 1998 with the rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in Back of the Yards, Fidel Urbina evaded capture until 2016, when he was arrested by Mexican federal authorities on a U.S. extradition warrant.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
Corey Feldman said in his 2020 documentary that Haim had confided in him that Sheen raped Haim on the set of the 1986 film.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Perkins had accused Dunmire of raping her, but no charges were ever filed against him, according to Cleveland 19 News.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 11 Sep. 2025
That victim was picked up in Boston’s North End, then stabbed and raped in suburban Wellesley.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
And rewatch the short videos on consent he had been required to watch in orientation just six weeks before raping Emily.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
Then he gets raped with a red-hot poker.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
She is raped, half-drunk, at a party and bites off a piece of her attacker’s ear.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
Further flashbacks show when Davina was first raped by Lovat and the resulting birth of her own son, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), aka the father of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
In one instance, when the girl tried to leave, Rivera-Villarreal allegedly held the girl down, put his hands over her mouth and forcibly raped her, according to officials.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
-
The violation is the eleventh recorded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, according to Defense Ministry figures provided to ABC News.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
-
From spoiled chicken to dead cockroaches, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City area restaurants last week.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Just days ago, Russian drones violated Polish airspace, drawing a reaction from NATO.—
Oleksandra Matviichuk,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
That means public institutions that fire workers for comments in their personal capacity may be violating their constitutional rights, experts told IndyStar.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel's military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.—
Jarrett Renshaw,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
This coalesces and makes sense of the barrage of assaults designed to undermine Americans’ trust in our country, our Constitution and all the principles upon which it was built.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yale’s lab has tracked these abductions for years now, and the group released its latest report on Tuesday, which shed more light on the scope and scale of Russia’s indoctrination efforts.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Last year has seen a sharp rise in attacks on schools in conflict zones around the world, resulting in the death, abduction and trauma of thousands of teachers and students.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Kuomintang, or KMT, also known as the Nationalist Party of China, is the party formerly led by Chiang Kai-shek that ruled the entirety of the Republic of China before Mao Zedong’s communist military forced it to flee to Taiwan.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The show also featured a number of first-time nominees and first-time winners like Tramell Tillman, Jeff Hiller, Hannah Einbinder, and Owen Cooper, all of whom were been forced to amend their moment in the spotlight to adhere to the joke.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Jamel McGriff, 42, a Bronx ex-con with a decades-long rap sheet, has been charged with 14 counts of murder and 37 charges in total, including kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, weapons offenses, grand larceny and identity theft, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office said.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The prosecutor turned to the day of the kidnapping.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share