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
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
The series will include guests such as Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who waived her right to anonymity in one of the most horrifying rape cases in history to stand in solidarity with fellow victims.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Four of the six women who spoke to the Herald described a group of boys involved in their assault or rape.
—Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
O’Brien managed to escape the attack and was pivotal in helping authorities identify Gaff, who was arrested several times in the years after and spent time behind bars for the rapes of two teenage sisters in 1984.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
That jury could not reach a verdict on a charge of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress, forcing prosecutors to try the count for a third time.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 May 2026
Weinstein, the disgraced former producer currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York in Riker’s Island, was on trial for what was now the third time involving a rape accusation from an aspiring actress back in 2013.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
Weinstein still faces 16 years in prison in California after being found guilty of rape there.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2026
The other counts include one count of forcible rape; three felony counts of injuring a spouse, fiancée or partner; and one count of felony first-degree burglary with a person in the home, according to Los Angeles criminal records viewed by USA TODAY.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Alvin Campbell is accused of posing as an Uber driver and raping or assaulting nine young women in Boston between 2017 and 2019.
—CBS News, 18 May 2026
The former aspiring actress testified Weinstein raped her at a DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan in 2013.
—Chloee Weiner, NPR, 15 May 2026
Always insisting on his innocence on the Mann accusations and every other one, Weinstein was found guilty in 2020 of raping the actress, but that conviction was overturned by a higher court in 2024.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Weinstein, 74, was initially convicted of raping actress Jessica Mann in 2020, but a judge overturned the verdict.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2026
In the Los Angeles case, Weinstein was convicted of raping an Italian model during a film festival in February 2013.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 May 2026
Barrett alleged in the lawsuit that Jackson broke into her residence and raped her in 1988.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
Prosecutors alleged Gaff attacked, raped and strangled Vesey while her two young children were inside the home, according to the outlets.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Noun
The Married at First Sight franchise has been left reeling by allegations of rape from a group of ex-contestants in a new BBC Panorama investigation.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026
The series will include guests such as Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who waived her right to anonymity in one of the most horrifying rape cases in history to stand in solidarity with fellow victims.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Four of the six women who spoke to the Herald described a group of boys involved in their assault or rape.
—Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
O’Brien managed to escape the attack and was pivotal in helping authorities identify Gaff, who was arrested several times in the years after and spent time behind bars for the rapes of two teenage sisters in 1984.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
That jury could not reach a verdict on a charge of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress, forcing prosecutors to try the count for a third time.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 May 2026
Weinstein, the disgraced former producer currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York in Riker’s Island, was on trial for what was now the third time involving a rape accusation from an aspiring actress back in 2013.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
Weinstein still faces 16 years in prison in California after being found guilty of rape there.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2026
The other counts include one count of forcible rape; three felony counts of injuring a spouse, fiancée or partner; and one count of felony first-degree burglary with a person in the home, according to Los Angeles criminal records viewed by USA TODAY.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Verb
Martin, a former county transit worker, beat, strangled and raped the woman after offering her a ride, prosecutor say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Alvin Campbell is accused of posing as an Uber driver and raping or assaulting nine young women in Boston between 2017 and 2019.
—CBS News, 18 May 2026
The former aspiring actress testified Weinstein raped her at a DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan in 2013.
—Chloee Weiner, NPR, 15 May 2026
Always insisting on his innocence on the Mann accusations and every other one, Weinstein was found guilty in 2020 of raping the actress, but that conviction was overturned by a higher court in 2024.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Weinstein, 74, was initially convicted of raping actress Jessica Mann in 2020, but a judge overturned the verdict.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2026
In the Los Angeles case, Weinstein was convicted of raping an Italian model during a film festival in February 2013.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 May 2026
Barrett alleged in the lawsuit that Jackson broke into her residence and raped her in 1988.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
Prosecutors alleged Gaff attacked, raped and strangled Vesey while her two young children were inside the home, according to the outlets.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
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Kapoor, who had moved from Atlanta to Miami to attend college, faces 10 years or more in prison on the money-laundering and payroll-tax violations.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
-
In 2020, longtime TCC instructor and program director Jeff McDonald sued the college for breach of contract, constitutional violations and deprivation of property interests without due process.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The case of Sherri Papini, the young woman who shocked the nation with a multi-year kidnapping hoax, has been the subject of multiple documentaries since her conviction in 2022.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Federal authorities describe TdA as a sprawling transnational organization involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and killings across Latin America and increasingly inside the United States.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Over the past three weeks, the collapse of the once-tight bond between two of the most prominent names in AI has been the subject of a high-profile trial in Oakland, California, after Musk sued Altman and OpenAI in 2024 for allegedly violating their commitment to keep OpenAI as a nonprofit.—
Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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For now, Carl still looks like an ethical saint compared to Duncan, who remains committed to violating privacy laws with such brazenness that even the federal government would be moved to pass enforceable regulations against him.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Not coincidentally, Netanyahu’s coalition—which dominates the Knesset with a majority of sixty-four seats, out of a hundred and twenty—has renewed its legislative assault on the court.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Castro faces multiple second-degree felony assault charges involving a weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor, according to a criminal complaint.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Noun
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The Arizona sheriff leading local investigative efforts in the apparent abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has shared an update on how much communication is happening between law enforcement and Savannah Guthrie's family.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
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Last year, two mass abductions from schools rocked the nation, with over 300 children taken in the northern region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The economic loss could rise to as much as 100 trillion won if chip production disruptions force Samsung to scrap semiconductor wafers already in production.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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The fire destroyed two structures — a cabin and an equipment shed — and forced the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees, who were rescued by a Santa Barbara County Fire Department helicopter.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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