rape 1 of 2

Definition of rapenext
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

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2
as in kidnapping
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

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rape

2 of 2

verb

as in to violate
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent the defendant accused of raping the victim

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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 rape
Noun
Florida has executed a death row inmate for the rape and murder of a stay-at-home mom whose death exposed the vulnerabilities of the 911 system nationwide and led to reform within the industry. Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026 At the time, ICE was attempting to take into custody Walter Roberto Vides-Ortez, who is wanted in his native El Salvador for child rape. Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026 In the fall, New York’s Republican State Committee suspended a Young Republican organization after the release of a group chat that included jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers. Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026 Last fall, New York’s Republican State Committee suspended a Young Republican organization following the release of a group chat that included jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers. ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026 Clemishire says the abuse, including rape, continued through 1987 across Texas and Oklahoma, years before Morris founded Gateway in 2000. Michelle Casady, Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026 In the Haitian capital ruled by armed gangs, where murder, rape and robberies are common, bestselling author Mitch Albom runs an orphanage that takes in the most at-risk kids. Denise Schrier Cetta, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026 Hands are stabbed, feet are liquidated, fingers are severed, bodies are impaled (at one point an entire butcher block of kitchen knives has to be used to subdue Todd), an ear and a nose are bitten off, shotgun holes are blown into faces, and prison rape is treated as a parlor game. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026 Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability. Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 Investigators also found palm prints on the hood of Duckett’s patrol car that matched Teresa, which prosecutors claimed was from her being raped while on the car and trying to push away. Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026 At 13, she was raped and spiraled into post-traumatic stress, depression, and violent self-harm. Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026 Recently, the Massachusetts Parole Board also OK’d the release of a man who raped a 76-year-old woman and was sentenced to 3 life sentences. Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026 Aiding a teenager slumped on the ground having a medical episode this month led to North Miami Beach officers learning that a Miami Gardens man had been raping her for at least the last two years — a discovery that her mother had long since made, authorities say. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026 Then, Epstein repeatedly raped her. Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026 Many of the men had been beaten, while women were raped and children were tortured. Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026 Last week, a Stanly County grand jury found probable cause that Brigham raped a 13-year-old 40 miles outside of Charlotte. Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
  • Just a few days into Operation Midway Blitz, an ICE agent shot and killed Silverio Villegas González, a Mexican man with only traffic violations on his record.
    Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The 2019 shelter violations were an isolated incident, Rae told The Charlotte Observer in an interview.
    Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Artists for Artists will produce a kidnapping thriller with a dark comedy element.
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The Nancy Guthrie kidnapping hasn’t really given us a lot of actionable evidence.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Airlines and their trade association argue that the Biden administration’s wheelchair regulations exceed the Department of Transportation’s statutory authority and violate the Administrative Procedure Act, claiming the requirements impose unreasonable burdens on air carriers.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Eleven people, including several sitting members of Bridgeport city council and the former vice chair of the city’s Democratic Party, are facing hundreds of state criminal charges for violating Connecticut’s absentee ballot laws during back-to-back mayoral elections in 2019 and 2023.
    Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Tavaris Jackson, 35, of Escanaba, was found guilty of first-degree murder, assault of a pregnant individual intentionally causing miscarriage/stillbirth and felony firearm.
    DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • One of them, Emmanuel Sanchez-Damian was 18 at the time and is facing felony robbery and assault charges.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • However, with the investigation dragging on for more than 40 days, Gould said the case does not fit the profile of an abduction.
    Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
  • In a case last year that raised questions about Noboa's crime-fighting methods, eleven soldiers were sentenced to more than 30 years in prison over the abduction of four children, whose bodies were found outside a military base near Guayaquil.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Young people have the right to think for themselves rather than having conservative extremism forced upon them in class.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
  • One final winnable game had slipped away, forcing the Aztecs and their fans to beg for a mulligan.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

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