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

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Police said all five rapes occurred within a one-mile radius of one another. Adam Thompson, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026 From the new arrivals, Dresdeners heard the harrowing tales of mass rapes, murders, and atrocities perpetrated by Russian soldiers eager for revenge. Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026 Under his ruling, none of the rapes that took place in Thornden Park or in the student apartments near it will have to be disclosed. Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026 The raid underscores gangs’ push to seize strategic mountain corridors around upscale Pétion-Ville, even as armed groups now control most of Port-au-Prince and nationwide killings, rapes and kidnappings surge. Pierre-Richard Luxama, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 In DeKalb, homicides went up from 16 to 18, and rapes increased from 35 to 46. Irene Wright, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 The office cautioned that the actual number of rapes are likely higher due because many cases go unreported by the victims due to fear of reprisal and stigmatization. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026 Germany recorded 751 cases categorized as group rapes in 2025, according to the federal government’s response to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the opposition Alternative für Deutschland party. Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026 Three men, including Jackman, have all been tied to serial rapes in the Westport area in the 1980s. Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Verb
In that film’s story, Insiang (Hilda Koronel) metes out revenge against Dado (Ruel Vernal), her hateful mother’s lover, who rapes her after rejecting his advances. Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 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 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
  • Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Because there were code violations, such as missing fire extinguishers, everyone who had been sleeping in the clubhouse building could no longer do so.
    Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • While individual kidnappings in Haiti are commonplace, mass abductions are more unusual.
    Evens Sanon, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Last week, dozens of people were kidnapped from a mosque in a spate of abductions at several villages in Nigeria's north-central Niger state.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The attorney general is authorized to take legal action against anyone who violates this law, which carries potential criminal penalties.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The Justice Department concluded Friday that the federal government cannot criminally enforce a prohibition on licensed dealers selling handguns to law-abiding adults ages 18-20 because the restriction violates the Second Amendment.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Independent Russian media regularly report about returning veterans involved in assaults, drunken brawls and even killings.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Research published in Nurse Leader shows assaults on nursing personnel rose from just over 14,000 in 2019 to nearly 24,000 in 2023.
    Jason Fass, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, a nearly 40% drop from the 2,058 kidnapping reported the previous year, the report stated.
    Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
  • 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
  • The story follows Alex, a photographer and young father in London, who faces an unexpected accident by the seaside, which forces him to contend with how quickly an idyllic life can slip away.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • This strains finance teams and forces them to focus on manual workarounds instead of the strategic work AI should free them up for.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster