Synonyms of rape

rape 1 of 2

noun

ˈrāp 

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

• violation
• assault
• sexual assault
• ravishment

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kidnapping
• abduction
• hijacking
• snatch
• seizure
• impressment
• shanghaiing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• assault
• force
• ravish

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rape

Noun

Petter, now 32, is among those sharing their own experiences online in response to the recent rape allegations that have emerged at a Cornell University fraternity house. — Windsor Johnston, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026

In 1995, the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen unleashed outrage and mass protests in Okinawa. — Junko Ogura, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Weeks later, he was charged in a separate case with second-degree forcible rape, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 3 Oct. 2026

On Thursday, Giuffra also revealed that Jane Doe completed a rape kit collection weeks after the incident. — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Dowd Hall shows how the ASWPL destroyed the notion of white Southern chivalry, as the women flatly denied that lynchings were because of the rapes of white women. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Continue reading … RECORD CHECK — AOC draws scrutiny with graphic comments about Cornell rape allegations. — FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

The Cornell University case is one in a long line of college rape allegations to surge into national headlines in recent years. — Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026

How does a father explain to his eight year old daughter what rape is? — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026

Verb

Earlier this week, the New York governor called for a third-party investigation into Cornell over its internal investigation into the seven fraternity members who allegedly raped Jane Doe in 2024. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2026

The report claimed Doe did tell Cornell police officers that she was raped, but that information did not make its way into the voluntary statement the department sent to the district attorney's office. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Records detail a Cornell fraternity brother’s account of the night a woman alleges she was raped. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Women should be able to drink at a party without being raped. — Jennifer Obel, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

The man who lured Cathy with candy, leading her away from her picnic and into a tunnel of trees to rape her, is tied up with her reading of Alice in Wonderland, and the Cathy from before and the Cathy created after are different people. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Prosecutors say Sierra snuffed out their lives with a plastic Sedano’s Supermarket bag before raping Machado’s and Julia’s bodies. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Matheson's 22-year-old daughter, Molly Jane, was raped and murdered in 2017. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Doe claims more men showed up and that she was raped for hours. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026