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

To know that a torture as violent as rape is about to happen ‘upstairs’ and not do ANYTHING ABOUT IT, is sick, cowardly and cold. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026

Pugh is not the only Hollywood name speaking out about the Cornell rape allegations. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026

Weinstein, who has been in ailing health in recent years, awaits resentencing for his 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Neither Peters’s representative nor his attorney has returned PEOPLE’s multiple requests for comment about the rape charges. — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

But a pending resentencing in Los Angeles, where he was originally ordered to serve 16 years in prison for a 2013 rape, could put him away for the rest of his life. — Michael R. Sisak, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

His previous charges included rape, malicious wounding, assault and theft, DHS said. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

The 74-year-old Weinstein’s latest sentence comes from his conviction for the 2006 rape of Miriam Haley. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

The jury in 2025 acquitted Weinstein of an attack on Polish model Kaja Sokola and was unable to reach a unanimous decision on Mann’s allegations of a 2013 rape inside a Midtown hotel, resulting in a partial mistrial and another retrial this spring. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 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