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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of rapes
George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
There was no real investigation into my case based on those two photos found by the police during their investigation into the rapes committed against my mother.
—Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
On average, almost 200 rapes were recorded by the police every single day in the year up to June 2025, which the government say is likely to be an underestimate of how many took place.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
After a task force was formed that year to investigate the rapes, Vilchez Lazo was arrested in July 2018 at his home in San Mateo County.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
Cops did see an 8% jump in rapes, from 470 to 508.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Harms was convicted of the 2011 and 2019 rapes in Sacramento Superior Court in 2022.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Prior to his convictions, the rapes and assaults were substantiated by investigative journalists at different legacy news outlets, passing the meticulous scrutiny of teams of lawyers and editors through a rigorous pre-publication process.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
South Africa has a very low conviction rate for rapes, with only around 8% of those reported in 2021 resulting in convictions.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
The girl vomited and went to lie down where Marino allegedly rapes her, the prosecutor added.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
The two have always had an uneasy relationship, but in the series' first episode, Constance’s son Willem (Toby Hemingway) rapes Fiona’s daughter Dahlia (Diana Silvers), and is murdered by the Nolan family because of it.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Soon after police arrested Bernardo for the Scarborough rapes, he and Homolka were also linked to the murders of three teenage girls between 1990 and 1992, according to CTV News.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
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
Noun
As the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) wrote in his magnum opus Leviathan, there would be no culture, no navigation, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no arts, no letters, no society; instead, there would be rapes, thefts, murders, and continual fear of violence.
—George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
There was no real investigation into my case based on those two photos found by the police during their investigation into the rapes committed against my mother.
—Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
On average, almost 200 rapes were recorded by the police every single day in the year up to June 2025, which the government say is likely to be an underestimate of how many took place.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
After a task force was formed that year to investigate the rapes, Vilchez Lazo was arrested in July 2018 at his home in San Mateo County.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
Cops did see an 8% jump in rapes, from 470 to 508.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Harms was convicted of the 2011 and 2019 rapes in Sacramento Superior Court in 2022.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Prior to his convictions, the rapes and assaults were substantiated by investigative journalists at different legacy news outlets, passing the meticulous scrutiny of teams of lawyers and editors through a rigorous pre-publication process.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
South Africa has a very low conviction rate for rapes, with only around 8% of those reported in 2021 resulting in convictions.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability.
—Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
The girl vomited and went to lie down where Marino allegedly rapes her, the prosecutor added.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
The two have always had an uneasy relationship, but in the series' first episode, Constance’s son Willem (Toby Hemingway) rapes Fiona’s daughter Dahlia (Diana Silvers), and is murdered by the Nolan family because of it.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Soon after police arrested Bernardo for the Scarborough rapes, he and Homolka were also linked to the murders of three teenage girls between 1990 and 1992, according to CTV News.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
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
-
Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel has said its strikes are in response to that and other ceasefire violations.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The number comes from a 1999 Department of Justice report that used surveys to estimate missing children cases nationwide under broad definitions, including everything from abductions to runaways to brief scares where a kid gets lost for a couple of hours.—
Stephen Johnson,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The abductions started a little over a decade ago.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Gettleman’s order came as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed in November by a coalition of faith leaders that alleges that the government’s refusal to allow ministry inside the facility violates their right to practice their religion.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Dozens of people testified before the board Tuesday, with many arguing that including Biblical texts in public school curriculum violates the separation of church and state.—
Lacey Beasley,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This, and the hospital’s security, had been a point of contention in recent years after a number of assaults on staff and forensic patients (usually kept there through the courts) escaping the hospital grounds, requiring a police response.—
Peter Currier,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
-
As of April 5, assaults in the city’s subway system were down by 6%, from 171 this time last year to 160.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the '30s, when the Lindbergh baby was abducted, kidnappings and ransoms were so common that high-profile people often secured kidnapping insurance.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This constraint forces strict prioritization.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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