rape 1 of 2

noun

ˈrāp How to pronounce rape (audio)
Definition of rapenext
1
as in violation
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

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2
as in kidnapping
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

rape

2 of 2

verb

as in to violate
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 rape
Noun
Russ has a solid roster of people from different stretches of Tyson’s life, from childhood friends to gym partners to follow boxers to family members to several of the women who didn’t divorce him or accuse him of rape. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026 Soon thereafter, she is diagnosed with dementia and learns that her grandson has committed serial rape. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Russell Brand leaves Southwark Crown Court in London on the first day of his rape trial. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 Haslett was initially charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault in October 2022 in Clay County Circuit Court. — Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, said her rape kit was conducted weeks after the incident rather than immediately afterward, potentially losing some DNA evidence. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026 Many students are outraged by a rape lawsuit but cowed by the university’s penalties for protesters. — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … NOT PERMITTED — Ithaca cracks down on Cornell with sweeping permit freeze amid rape allegation fallout. — FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Society The Cornell rape allegations have drawn significant public attention, and views of them are being informed by past issues such as the #MeToo movement and the Jeffrey Epstein case. — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
Keep it brief, clear and consistent There’s no room for ambiguity when teaching boys not to rape or assault girls. — Katie Hurley, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026 Jonathan Newell, 21, is accused in a lawsuit of raping a female student alongside other men after pressuring her to take ketamine and alcohol. — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors, relying on testimony from Diehl, say that Pham and Salerno raped and stabbed Collins, too. — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026 Pacciani was given a life sentence for killing six of the eight couples and also found guilty of raping his two daughters. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 Doe says she was plied with drugs and alcohol and gang-raped by the men during a party at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 John Bennett, who was hanged at Fort Leavenworth in 1961 for raping and attempting to murder an 11-year-old girl in Austria. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026 Despite telling police definitively that she had been raped, the report Ithaca police sent to the district attorney omitted this language. — Kaitlyn M. Sims, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026 Authorities now say that man, identified as Clark, held the victim against her will in his home and raped her. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape
  1. violation
  2. kidnapping
  3. violate
  4. assault
  5. abduction
  6. force
Noun
  • Denny Hamlin served a safety violation after a tire bounced out of his team’s pit box, sending him to the back of the field temporarily.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Myriad violations, from food that should’ve been trashed weeks earlier to filthy equipment, befouled the state inspection of a West Miami-Dade supermarket this week.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • The next year Williams was charged in the Southern District of Iowa for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in the kidnapping case.
    — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lavery pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, kidnapping and concealment of a body in 2022 and is serving up to 32 years in prison.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of kidnapping
Verb
  • The government characterized Lemon as part of the demonstration, arguing his actions at a church crossed the line from a reporting to a protesting role, violating the First Amendment right to worship and freedom of religion.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Advisors who do have a fiduciary duty and who violate that responsibility can be subject to fairly serious consequences, including regulatory penalties, civil liabilities and criminal charges.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of violate
Noun
  • The University of Arizona has suspended activities at its fraternities following persistent reports of misconduct, including assault, hazing and drug and alcohol-related behavior, a university official said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Fleming was received from Los Angeles County in 2019 to serve a 42-year sentence for second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
    — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of assault
Noun
  • Williams had allegedly conspired with three other individuals to fake his own abduction alongside hers, according to local reports of the incident.
    — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Sullivan cautioned that trafficking often looks very different from the abductions portrayed in movies.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of abduction
Verb
  • Without Carmella there as a potential wild card, the ladies arrive in Tokyo and are forced to retreat to their familiar shticks.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Jones forced his religious and political views onto Levy throughout their relationship, according to prosecutors.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of force

Browse Nearby Words

rapacity
rape
raped
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Cite this Entry

“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rape

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rape

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