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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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
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Gaff had also been previously convicted of second-degree assault for two violent rapes months after Weaver's murder.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Hospital is an oasis Inside the sprawling slum, where gang violence has left scores of children orphaned, rapes of women and girls are frequent and cholera, hunger and malnutrition remain entrenched, La Fontaine is widely seen as both an oasis and a lifeline.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
At least six other incidents of people directly witnessing rapes and gang rapes are outlined in the report, with all of the witnesses describing victims being shot dead.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
But there wasn’t any institutionalized order to conduct rapes.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
During her nine-month-long abduction at age 14, Smart was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
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
Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
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
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
O’Brien managed to escape the attack and was pivotal in helping authorities identify Gaff, who was arrested several times in the years after and spent time behind bars for the rapes of two teenage sisters in 1984.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Gaff had also been previously convicted of second-degree assault for two violent rapes months after Weaver's murder.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Hospital is an oasis Inside the sprawling slum, where gang violence has left scores of children orphaned, rapes of women and girls are frequent and cholera, hunger and malnutrition remain entrenched, La Fontaine is widely seen as both an oasis and a lifeline.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
At least six other incidents of people directly witnessing rapes and gang rapes are outlined in the report, with all of the witnesses describing victims being shot dead.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
But there wasn’t any institutionalized order to conduct rapes.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
During her nine-month-long abduction at age 14, Smart was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
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
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
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
-
Other violations throughout the years included creating another public nuisance in 2006 that generated more than 10 complaints and operating equipment contrary to its permit.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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The facility was inspected by the department three other times in the last five years and was cited for violations unrelated to chemicals and storage.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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The last year saw the federal government swarm the city with violent immigration raids and abductions.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The suit, filed on June 1 in the District Court’s Dallas division by Dallas firm Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, claims that the destruction of the mural, designated as Whaling Wall 82, violates the artist’s rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA).—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
2 June 2026
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What happened Florida on Monday sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging that the company’s AI chatbot violates state consumer protection laws.—
Rafi Schwartz,
TheWeek,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The girl was 11 years old when the assaults began, according to prosecutors.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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Some detailed violent interactions with customers, including robberies and physical assaults, and said the company didn’t provide safety training.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Noun
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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
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The program forces major polluters to pay for their share of emissions by buying allowances at auctions or being granted them for free.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
For example, if a stock is ripping higher and the lender wants the shares back, that forces the borrower to buy them back on the open market at the prevailing price.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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