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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Recent Examples of rape
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2026
Inspired by Gisèle Pelicot ’s decision to make her harrowing drug and rape trial public, the parents of the children agreed to open the proceedings.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
The suspect, a Modesto resident, was charged with criminal threats, domestic violence, and rape of an unconscious person.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Saturday at the Faulkner County Detention Center in Conway on two counts of rape, jail records show.
—Arkansas Online, 23 May 2026
The breaking point for the House Republican with Brandon Phillips came Friday when Collins’ campaign account mocked a Dooley operative whose wife attempted suicide after accusing former NBC host Matt Lauer of rape.
—Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 22 May 2026
What could be more cunning and disgusting than training dogs to commit anal rape?
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Officers arrested Devin Watton, 32, on April 10, according to a Boise Police Department news release, and he was later arraigned on suspicion of a pair of felonies, rape and first-degree kidnapping.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 20 May 2026
That was a few months after he was released from prison after serving more than 30 years for a 1999 rape conviction.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026
Peter D'oench, CBS News, 1 June 2026
The statement from Romania's anti-terrorism organization, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, also alleged that one of the defendants raped a woman twice in March 2022.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Last month, a Santa Monica man, also unaffiliated with the university, was charged with kidnapping a female UCLA student in March to try to rape her.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The younger sister told the AP that she too was tied up by her mother-in-law and raped by her husband.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The man has previously been convicted of attempting to rape an 11-year-old girl in Bronx, New York, in 2006, according to court records.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
The men were accused by 17-year-old Norma Padgett of raping her in the backseat of her and her husband’s car on July 16, 1949.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and killed — and France never formally did away with it.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
The mass executions of political prisoners in 1988 are well documented—including the fact that some young women among them were first raped by their guards, on the theologically dubious premise that virgins could not be executed.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 27 May 2026
Noun
As a school-leaving-age young woman in 2012, simple maths dictates that she must have been conceived around the time of a conflict that was also defined by the use of mass rape as a weapon of war.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2026
Inspired by Gisèle Pelicot ’s decision to make her harrowing drug and rape trial public, the parents of the children agreed to open the proceedings.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
The suspect, a Modesto resident, was charged with criminal threats, domestic violence, and rape of an unconscious person.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Saturday at the Faulkner County Detention Center in Conway on two counts of rape, jail records show.
—Arkansas Online, 23 May 2026
The breaking point for the House Republican with Brandon Phillips came Friday when Collins’ campaign account mocked a Dooley operative whose wife attempted suicide after accusing former NBC host Matt Lauer of rape.
—Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 22 May 2026
What could be more cunning and disgusting than training dogs to commit anal rape?
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Officers arrested Devin Watton, 32, on April 10, according to a Boise Police Department news release, and he was later arraigned on suspicion of a pair of felonies, rape and first-degree kidnapping.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 20 May 2026
That was a few months after he was released from prison after serving more than 30 years for a 1999 rape conviction.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026
Verb
Investigators say the 12-year-old girl alleged she was taken to a community garden in Overtown, restrained and then raped.
—Peter D'oench, CBS News, 1 June 2026
The statement from Romania's anti-terrorism organization, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, also alleged that one of the defendants raped a woman twice in March 2022.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Last month, a Santa Monica man, also unaffiliated with the university, was charged with kidnapping a female UCLA student in March to try to rape her.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
The younger sister told the AP that she too was tied up by her mother-in-law and raped by her husband.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The man has previously been convicted of attempting to rape an 11-year-old girl in Bronx, New York, in 2006, according to court records.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
The men were accused by 17-year-old Norma Padgett of raping her in the backseat of her and her husband’s car on July 16, 1949.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and killed — and France never formally did away with it.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
The mass executions of political prisoners in 1988 are well documented—including the fact that some young women among them were first raped by their guards, on the theologically dubious premise that virgins could not be executed.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
-
The facility was inspected by the department three other times in the last five years and was cited for violations unrelated to chemicals and storage.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Rafa confesses to eating chocolate in violation of his strict diet.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Yes, Stolen Baby is based on the real-life murder of Broussard and the kidnapping of her daughter, Margo Elizabeth Carey.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
But a week after reporting the kidnapping, investigators arrested the couple at their Cabazon home after determining that Emmanuel was most likely dead and the couple had faked their story.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The complaint alleges the defendants failed to manufacture, supply and serve food safe for human consumption and violated federal food safety laws and USDA performance standards governing ground beef.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Several speakers challenged Polis' argument that the bill could violate free speech protections.—
Jamie Leary,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Between 2012 and 2015, Perry was also convicted of assault likely to cause great bodily injury, domestic violence, possession of ammunition as a felon and fleeing from police in Sacramento County, according to the criminal complaint.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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Today, not only are these conditions under assault by a kleptocratic, nativist US federal government, but the clock seems also to be running out on their own internal contradictions.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
What’s behind the mass abduction of Nigerian children?—
TheWeek,
TheWeek,
22 May 2026
-
The father, who is separated from their mother, previously went to the police in France and reported her for child abduction, while the mother's family reported her disappearance on May 11.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
The Trojans must beat the Aggies to force a winner-take-all game Monday at a time to be determined.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Anyone with livestock has been forced to leave.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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