rapes 1 of 2

plural of rape
1
as in violations
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 abductions
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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rapes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rape
as in violates
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent the defendant accused of raping the victim

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rapes
Noun
The Pillowcase Rapist was one of the most notorious serial rapists in Florida history — with police in 2020 linking Koehler to dozens of rapes from years ago through DNA. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025 Homicides, for instance, have dropped by about 12%, and rapes have gone down by nearly 17%. Chantelle Lee, Time, 21 Oct. 2025 For a couple of years, the statistics that are coming out show more violence, more rapes, more murders, femicides. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025 Murders and assaults in Minnesota dropped in 2024 while rapes and robberies rose, according to statistics released this week by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025 At age 13, Taylor Cadle was charged with lying to law enforcement about the rapes at the insistence of Polk County sheriff’s Detective Melissa Turnage, who was assigned to investigate Cadle’s case, her lawsuit filed Friday says. Miami Herald, Boston Herald, 15 Oct. 2025 Police found 20,000 videos and photographs documenting the rapes, dating back to 2011, the paper reported. Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 Several investigations and studies revealed the facility was plagued with poor infrastructure and mismanagement, rapes, assaults, and allegations of medical malpractice. Pj Green september 24, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2025 Between 1976 and 1986, California investigators searched in vain for the suspect behind 12 homicides, 45 rapes, and 120 burglaries, according to the FBI. Ian Berry, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
At the end of that game, Alma psychically rapes the protagonist, a psychic soldier named Beckett, and becomes pregnant with another child. Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 Lanier rapes Forsythe during a job interview, which O’Brien recounts in upsetting, unwavering detail. Jared Sullivan, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024 Donald treats Ivana with similar contempt, and then rapes her. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapes
Noun
  • Racing co-owner Michael Jordan to sue NASCAR in federal court, alleging antitrust violations.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The process of retrieving remains is plagued a deep sense of distrust that has prevailed between the two parties both throughout the past two years of war and in a ceasefire period already marked by dueling accusations of violations.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The abductions appear to have been part of North Korea’s espionage program, according to a 2014 UN report.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Russia has denied the allegations, but the court accused Putin of personal responsibility for the abductions.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit in federal court on June 13, and were already engaged in a separate legal challenge in Pulaski County Circuit Court that claims the program violates the Arkansas Constitution.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Ising’s case is among a series of incidents The Star has reported on in recent months in which fire department employees charged with serious crimes — including assaults, a felony drug case and multiple DWIs — were allowed to remain on the job, some for years.
    Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But André, who Bonitzer has named after the early surrealist André-Aimé-René Masson, soon confronts our man with a situation that — at least on some distant subconscious level — forces him to re-evaluate his metrics.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
  • This structural gap seriously limits access to highly specialized medical care and forces many countries to rely on training centers abroad, creating imbalances in both quality and equity.
    Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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