Thesaurus results for RAPE

rape 1 of 2

noun

ˈrāp

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

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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

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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

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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

The alleged rape was reported by The Athletic in May, though the identity of the player was not revealed at the time. —

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 Mendes under investigation New Zealand police are investigating allegations of rape against Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes, who has started all three of the team’s matches in the World Cup thus far. —

Chris Branch, New York Times, 1 July 2026 Harvey Weinstein avoids rape conviction with mistrial News of Weinstein's hospitalization comes a month-and-a-half after a judge declared a mistrial in his ‌sex-crimes trial with Mann. —

Edward Segarra, USA Today, 1 July 2026 Chinese authorities accused him of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other crimes, but Guo said those allegations were false. —

CNN Money, 30 June 2026 Jonesboro police officers arrested Britt June 26 on a Class Y felony charge of rape of a person less than 14 years old, jail records say. —

Arkansas Online, 30 June 2026 Barely a page passes where our protagonists aren’t threatened with rape, death or enslavement or rescued by a preposterous set of coincidences. —

Literary Hub, 30 June 2026 Campus crime data also show the university has recorded more than 100 reported rapes between 2022 and 2024, according to its Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports. —

Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026 Arrested at Bangkok’s airport while boarding a flight to Perth, Carman now faces rape and murder charges in a case that could carry Thailand’s death penalty. —

Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Verb

The woman accused Mendes, Cape Verdes’ all-time leading scorer, of forcing his way into her hotel room in Auckland and then raping her. —

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 The warning is the second issued by UCSB police since May, when an 18-year-old freshman reported she was raped and strangled after meeting a man at a Sigma Pi fraternity party before returning to her dorm at Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista. —

Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026 Carman was arrested early Saturday at a Bangkok airport before boarding a flight bound for Perth, Australia, and charged with raping a minor. —

ABC News, 30 June 2026 He was arrested early Saturday at a Bangkok airport before boarding a flight bound for Perth, Australia, and charged with raping a minor. —

Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 DeSantis also approved a $4 million bill to compensate families of the Groveland Four, the four Black men from Lake County falsely accused of raping a white woman in 1949. —

Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026 Louis had lit Bruce on fire with Claudia’s (Delainey Hayles) diary entry as a punishment for raping her. —

Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 In 1949 he was arrested for allegedly raping his 14-year-old daughter but was acquitted. —

Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 June 2026 While posing as an Uber driver in Boston, Campbell raped five intoxicated women and attempted to rape another between 2017 and 2019, the outlets reported. —

Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rape

Noun

Lawyers in the gas station lawsuit assert that technology is enabling antitrust violations.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Beijing has and been accused of serious human violations, including large-scale arbitrary detention of Uyghur and other Muslim minorities, in Xinjiang.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

Definition of violation

Noun

So for example, the risks in Haiti include civil unrest, limited healthcare, crime, terrorism, and the risk of kidnapping.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Arnold is facing three counts of kidnapping, three counts of armed robbery, one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery from a February incident in Tampa.

— Bob Wojnowski, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2026

Definition of kidnapping

Verb

Judge Sullivan concluded in his June 25 decision to order Blanche to release more information or explain himself that Blanche had likely violated the transparency law.

— Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Guests were reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving any event details (although the NDAs were said not to have included any penalties for violating the terms).

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

Definition of violate

Noun

Indeed, the administration’s assault on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act intensifies the damage.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Williams had an extraditable warrant out of Suffolk County, New York, on multiple charges including burglary, strangulation and assault.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of assault

Noun

The actual abduction was committed, according to the feds, by supermarket owner Abu Chowdhury — who’s accused of heading a kidnapping ring that also snatched and tortured two men who crossed his vengeful wife, Iffat Lubna.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
In the past, it's been falsely linked with everything from hurricanes to floods, wildfires and alien abductions.

— Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026