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
Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Feinstein and Prugo pleaded no contest to the count of stalking, and the felony solicitation for rape count was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Going to the Baltimore Police Department’s crime map, in the downtown area, there have been 19 assaults, a rape, five auto thefts, and three robberies just since the publication of this article!
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2026
Others paid tribute to Sundance’s crucial role in supporting independent film and bidding adieu to Park City while the Josephine filmmaker focused her comments on rape culture.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The Los Angeles area operation ended with 162 arrests, including a Mexican national convicted of rape and a Salvadoran national convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
He was also accused of rape by a former friend in 2022.
—Madeline Boardman, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Scores of women describe rape By the time the federal criminal trial of the Alexander brothers started on Tuesday, dozens of women had already filed civil lawsuits or otherwise shared their stories publicly.
—Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
The issue of marital rape has also been broached in both seasons 1 and 2.
—Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 29 Jan. 2026
Anna McAllister, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Previous contestants like Rebecca Ferguson and Lucy Spraggan have criticized the show, with Spraggan saying she was raped while staying at a hotel while it was being filmed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Coroner Emily Hartford believes the killer is Colton Chauncey, who’s on trial for raping the baby’s mother.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
The Hillside Strangler abducted, raped and murdered 10 young women in Los Angeles in the 70s’ and left their bodies displayed on the hillsides.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The case, the oldest assigned to the Dallas County DA’s Conviction Integrity Unit, involved Walker, a 19-year-old accused of raping and murdering Venice Parker, a 31-year-old White woman, on her way home from work in 1953.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Organs have been reportedly removed in hospitals under duress, and women are routinely raped or executed for speaking their truth.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
Smart’s captors subjected her to rape daily, something that drove her to the point of contemplating suicide.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Caitie’s confession led Lucy to also claim that she was raped by Chris, in order for everyone to take it seriously since most of her classmates brushed it off.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
He was booked for rape by force but has since been released after posting bond.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Feinstein and Prugo pleaded no contest to the count of stalking, and the felony solicitation for rape count was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Going to the Baltimore Police Department’s crime map, in the downtown area, there have been 19 assaults, a rape, five auto thefts, and three robberies just since the publication of this article!
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2026
Others paid tribute to Sundance’s crucial role in supporting independent film and bidding adieu to Park City while the Josephine filmmaker focused her comments on rape culture.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The Los Angeles area operation ended with 162 arrests, including a Mexican national convicted of rape and a Salvadoran national convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
He was also accused of rape by a former friend in 2022.
—Madeline Boardman, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Scores of women describe rape By the time the federal criminal trial of the Alexander brothers started on Tuesday, dozens of women had already filed civil lawsuits or otherwise shared their stories publicly.
—Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
The issue of marital rape has also been broached in both seasons 1 and 2.
—Marilyn La Jeunesse, Parents, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
Police are searching for a suspect after a Florida Memorial University student was raped on campus early Sunday morning, according to Miami Gardens police.
—Anna McAllister, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Previous contestants like Rebecca Ferguson and Lucy Spraggan have criticized the show, with Spraggan saying she was raped while staying at a hotel while it was being filmed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Coroner Emily Hartford believes the killer is Colton Chauncey, who’s on trial for raping the baby’s mother.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
The Hillside Strangler abducted, raped and murdered 10 young women in Los Angeles in the 70s’ and left their bodies displayed on the hillsides.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The case, the oldest assigned to the Dallas County DA’s Conviction Integrity Unit, involved Walker, a 19-year-old accused of raping and murdering Venice Parker, a 31-year-old White woman, on her way home from work in 1953.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Organs have been reportedly removed in hospitals under duress, and women are routinely raped or executed for speaking their truth.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
Smart’s captors subjected her to rape daily, something that drove her to the point of contemplating suicide.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Caitie’s confession led Lucy to also claim that she was raped by Chris, in order for everyone to take it seriously since most of her classmates brushed it off.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
-
The 20-month sentence imposed on Kim was a surprise after independent counsel Min Joong-ki called for a 15-year prison term on three charges, including stock price manipulation, political funding law violations and accepting bribes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Government entities that fail to clearly designate facilities as either male or female could face a $25,000 fine for a first violation and a $125,000 fine for subsequent violations.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Jury selection in the capital murder trial of Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and killing North Texas girl Athena Strand, began Thursday morning.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Shortly after Tate's killing, the duo returned to Texas where Sneed was charged with kidnapping and sentenced to 40 years in prison.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The probe will examine whether Department of Homeland Security officers violated the law in shooting the 37-year-old ICU nurse.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
-
In 2024, the court said fining or jailing someone for sleeping outside when there are no available shelter beds doesn’t violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Martinez and another man were charged in October with assault with a deadly weapon, accused of following the agents' vehicles and initiating the collision with Exum's SUV that led to the shooting on Chicago's south side.—
James Hill,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Pretti was shot while agents were evidently seeking to detain a man, Jose Huerta-Chuma, whom Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said had an extensive criminal record including domestic assault.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Investigators do not believe at this point that the abduction was part of a robbery, home invasion or kidnapping-for-ransom plot, the person said.—
Sejal Govindarao,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Sources briefed on the probe told ABC News that investigators are focusing on Nancy Guthrie’s electronic devices to see if there is data that could point to an assailant or a specific time when the abduction would have occurred.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But without any leads nor money to return back to her comfortable life in India, Mehr is forced to work as a housemaid for these eccentric artists Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Choreographed to perfection, yet not in a way that felt forced in the slightest, Bono and company distilled their brilliant Elevation Tour into a spellbinding three-song set that found the band performing while names of terrorist victims were shown on the big screen.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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