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
Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
Following a jury trial, Pasqual was also convicted of counts of injuring a spouse or partner, first-degree burglary and rape, according to court documents.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
The Rhode Island native says people were at these programs for things like arson, rape and cutting.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and life for first-degree rape.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 11 May 2026
At the time, Brueckner was serving a seven-year prison sentence for the unrelated crime of a 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Portugal.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Defense lawyers for Høiby, who has no royal titles or official duties, said that there was no evidence to support the rape charges.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The male employee was arrested on suspicion of rape and booked into the Douglas County Correctional Facility on April 29.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2026
Tate, alongside his brother Tristan Tate, is currently under investigation in Romania for allegations of human trafficking and has been charged with rape, human trafficking, and bodily harm.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 May 2026
Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer and defends a Black man who’s been falsely accused of raping a white woman.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
During his trial, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle said Flores raped her in his dorm before killing her.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
After the incident in April, KidsTLC waited over an hour to contact police, and Doe’s parents didn’t hear that their daughter was raped until the next day, when officers contacted them to conduct a forensic examination.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
James Holder, the cofounder of British clothing company Superdry, has been sentenced to eight years in jail for raping a woman.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
In March, The New York Times published an investigation documenting allegations that Chavez molested and raped girls and raped his longtime co-leader Dolores Huerta.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
In July 2023, a 14-year-old girl told Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives that Glenn, a family friend who lived with her in West Perrine, grabbed and raped her in a bathroom, an arrest report read.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Noun
At least six other incidents of people directly witnessing rapes and gang rapes are outlined in the report, with all of the witnesses describing victims being shot dead.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
Following a jury trial, Pasqual was also convicted of counts of injuring a spouse or partner, first-degree burglary and rape, according to court documents.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
The Rhode Island native says people were at these programs for things like arson, rape and cutting.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and life for first-degree rape.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 11 May 2026
At the time, Brueckner was serving a seven-year prison sentence for the unrelated crime of a 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Portugal.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Defense lawyers for Høiby, who has no royal titles or official duties, said that there was no evidence to support the rape charges.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The male employee was arrested on suspicion of rape and booked into the Douglas County Correctional Facility on April 29.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2026
Tate, alongside his brother Tristan Tate, is currently under investigation in Romania for allegations of human trafficking and has been charged with rape, human trafficking, and bodily harm.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Verb
The three-part documentary series tells the story of three brothers who were recently convicted of preying on women for more than a decade, masquerading as party boys while drugging and raping them from the Hamptons to Aspen.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 May 2026
Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer and defends a Black man who’s been falsely accused of raping a white woman.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
During his trial, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle said Flores raped her in his dorm before killing her.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
After the incident in April, KidsTLC waited over an hour to contact police, and Doe’s parents didn’t hear that their daughter was raped until the next day, when officers contacted them to conduct a forensic examination.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
James Holder, the cofounder of British clothing company Superdry, has been sentenced to eight years in jail for raping a woman.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
In March, The New York Times published an investigation documenting allegations that Chavez molested and raped girls and raped his longtime co-leader Dolores Huerta.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
In July 2023, a 14-year-old girl told Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives that Glenn, a family friend who lived with her in West Perrine, grabbed and raped her in a bathroom, an arrest report read.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
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Garcia Martinez was processed for federal immigration law violations and transported to a detention facility with detainers to ensure extradition to New York after final adjudication of the immigration violations, CBP said.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
But a confidential internal audit later seemed to suggest body camera misuse was more widespread, finding similar violations among patrol officers in three other divisions, including 77th Street.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Niebla-Machado gave the agent a firearm and a Dodge Ram pickup truck as a down payment for the kidnapping, according to court records.—
Kendrick Calfee
May 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
This came partly because of two ransom notes received from a person claiming to have information about the kidnapping.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and laws regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.—
STEPHEN SIMPSON The Texas Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2026
-
Critics say the commission lacks religious and ideological diversity, violates federal law requiring balanced viewpoints, and threatens long-standing constitutional church-state protections.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Brown is expected to face multiple charges, including two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, along with weapons offenses.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
12 May 2026
-
After being medically cleared at a hospital, Villalobos-Espinoza was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft, felony evading, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and an enhancement for prior theft convictions.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
As of May 2026, British detectives began working on how to bring Brueckner to Britain, so he can officially be charged with Madeleine's abduction and murder.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
The investigation into her abduction is ongoing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
In the next race, however, the same approach was blocked by the Italians, and Botin was forced to bail out of the start altogether.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
But mostly, the Sparks’ defense activated, forcing 10 Las Vegas turnovers, led by two steals apiece from Atkins and Wheeler to fuel the comeback.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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