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
Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
In his third New York prosecution, Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to third-degree rape stemming from an alleged assault on hair stylist and once-aspiring actor Jessica Mann.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
As their content has become more popular, the pair were arrested in connection with human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime ring in Romania in December 2022.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
This is the third trial in Manhattan over the 2013 rape of Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
After years of #MeToo infamy, legal peril and prison, Harvey Weinstein is again going on trial on a rape charge in New York City.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
That same day, Alameda County prosecutors threw out human trafficking, rape and pandering charges involving the two girls, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
Crime in the city of Sacramento cratered last year, with sharp declines across car thefts, burglaries, robberies, rape and homicides.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
The Washington Democrat also called on Swalwell, who has been accused of rape, and Gonzales to resign from office during the NBC News interview.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2026
Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
One woman alleged that Swalwell raped her.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2026
Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson is investigating a 2019 assault in which Swalwell reportedly raped his staffer at a hotel after drinks at a Pleasanton steakhouse.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Four women, including an ex-staffer for the Bay Area representative who says Swalwell raped her two years ago, have alleged attacks and unwelcomed explicit communications, according to reports Friday by CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2026
An expert witness for the prosecution could not confirm that Meili had been raped by more than one man.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
The arrest follows an undercover investigation by CNN into online networks of men teaching each other how to drug and rape their partners.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
One thing there does seem to be an appetite for is true crime, but a lot of the stories are about women being murdered or raped, and true crime is not providing context or analysis to questions like, why does domestic violence happen?
—HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.
—Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Jury selection for Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial in a Manhattan courtroom could begin as soon as Tuesday.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
In his third New York prosecution, Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to third-degree rape stemming from an alleged assault on hair stylist and once-aspiring actor Jessica Mann.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
As their content has become more popular, the pair were arrested in connection with human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime ring in Romania in December 2022.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
This is the third trial in Manhattan over the 2013 rape of Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
After years of #MeToo infamy, legal peril and prison, Harvey Weinstein is again going on trial on a rape charge in New York City.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
That same day, Alameda County prosecutors threw out human trafficking, rape and pandering charges involving the two girls, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
Crime in the city of Sacramento cratered last year, with sharp declines across car thefts, burglaries, robberies, rape and homicides.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
The Washington Democrat also called on Swalwell, who has been accused of rape, and Gonzales to resign from office during the NBC News interview.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
He was first tried in 2020, where he was convicted of raping Mann and forcing oral sex on another woman.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
One woman alleged that Swalwell raped her.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2026
Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson is investigating a 2019 assault in which Swalwell reportedly raped his staffer at a hotel after drinks at a Pleasanton steakhouse.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Four women, including an ex-staffer for the Bay Area representative who says Swalwell raped her two years ago, have alleged attacks and unwelcomed explicit communications, according to reports Friday by CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2026
An expert witness for the prosecution could not confirm that Meili had been raped by more than one man.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
The arrest follows an undercover investigation by CNN into online networks of men teaching each other how to drug and rape their partners.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
One thing there does seem to be an appetite for is true crime, but a lot of the stories are about women being murdered or raped, and true crime is not providing context or analysis to questions like, why does domestic violence happen?
—HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.
—Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
Noun
-
Magyar may be charged with and convicted of some violation of the law that disqualifies him from public life.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Violence is used to enforce discipline, and those accused of theft or rule violations may be executed or disappeared.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane appears to have broken his silence on a federal kidnapping case involving him and his label.—
DeAsia Paige,
AJC.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Horner, 34, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to capital murder in the course of kidnapping.—
Amy McDaniel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Werner said there is one charge, an accusation of participating in an encampment that disturbed university operations, which violates the faculty code of conduct.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The penalty for violating the speed limit depends on how fast the driver is going.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This latest ideological assault on professionalism advances neither objective.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Way has been charged with felony first-degree assault, the outlets reported, citing court documents.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
During one call, Horner's mother asked him what happened during the abduction.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
-
An abduction sequence ties the audience’s nerves in knots with cinematographer Isaac Bauman’s athletic tracking shot loping up the stairs to Margot’s apartment accompanied by Gavin Brivik’s pulse-hammering score.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The idea was to lure visitors in with notions of decadence and frills, and then force them to confront the harsh realities of imperialism, colonialism, and the relentlessness of the fashion cycle.—
Emilia Petrarca,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
House and Senate Democrats plan to force separate votes in both chambers on Iran war powers resolutions this week.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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