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
Neal Riley, CBS News, 24 Mar. 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
DeAngelo in 2020 was sentenced to life in prison for 13 murders and 13 rapes from the 1970s and 1980s.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 14 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
Beer that turned green − possibly a chemical reaction with the drugs Dominque Pelicot had been slipping into her drinks and food to render her unconscious for the rapes.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 murders and 13 rapes in 2020, and was later handed multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Columbus, Ohio, saw dramatic drops in every category, including rapes, down to 678 last year from 1,116 in 2024.
—Mark Morales, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 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
The cold case was broken in 2024 when DNA from genetic genealogy connected Gale to the rapes.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 24 Mar. 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
DeAngelo in 2020 was sentenced to life in prison for 13 murders and 13 rapes from the 1970s and 1980s.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 14 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
Beer that turned green − possibly a chemical reaction with the drugs Dominque Pelicot had been slipping into her drinks and food to render her unconscious for the rapes.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 murders and 13 rapes in 2020, and was later handed multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Columbus, Ohio, saw dramatic drops in every category, including rapes, down to 678 last year from 1,116 in 2024.
—Mark Morales, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 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
-
The establishment is currently closed, and signage posted on the door indicates the business is facing multiple liquor license violations, including serving minors.—
Jamie Leary,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Thursday's hearing gave House investigators an opportunity to lay out their findings and make a motion for the panel of lawmakers to adopt their conclusion that Cherfilus-McCormick committed 27 ethics violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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The Supreme Court said Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors violates the free speech rights of a Christian counselor.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Israeli rights groups and international organizations say the law violates international law and discriminates against Palestinians through unequal application across courts.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
According to state officials, the assaults took place between 2002 and 2008.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Such units have traditionally been used for missions like large-scale evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, including raids and assaults.—
James Legge,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 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
-
The owners will be pushing for a salary cap, and the players for some sort of mechanism that forces the bottom-end teams to spend more, like a salary floor.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
-
When the 25-day storage wall forces a pipeline to stop, the system begins to degrade immediately.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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