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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rapes
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 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
The rainstorm, however, is the least of Haiti’s worries as authorities continue to see several overlapping developments amid an ongoing rise in kidnappings and rapes and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, all carried out by armed gangs.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 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
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
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
Nor does your letter mention the countless rapes and massacres carried out by Hamas on that day.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 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
The rainstorm, however, is the least of Haiti’s worries as authorities continue to see several overlapping developments amid an ongoing rise in kidnappings and rapes and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, all carried out by armed gangs.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 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
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
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
-
Garcia Martinez was processed for federal immigration law violations and transported to a detention facility with detainers to ensure extradition to New York after final adjudication of the immigration violations, CBP said.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Allegations of sovereignty violations, civilian casualties, and lack of due process have prompted debates about the legality and morality of drone warfare under international humanitarian law.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Its work, which launched just weeks after the full-scale invasion began, has helped both to quantify the scope of the abductions and to raise global awareness about Russia’s actions.—
Shahrzad Rasekh,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
-
No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s abductions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The second problem with a moratorium on calling your opponents authoritarian is that Trump himself routinely violates it.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Critics and rights groups have said the DHS campaign violates due process and free speech.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The girl reported the assaults to her elementary school teacher while Dixon was incarcerated on unrelated charges, according to court records.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
Sawtelle said Coogler also has been punished while awaiting trial in jail for being involved in assaults on other inmates.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 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
-
Since different error correction schemes require different connections among the qubits, this forces us to commit to specific error-correction schemes during manufacturing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
-
Lomax, sensing his happiness, forces its end, depriving Stoner of this brief joy.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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