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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rapes
Mark Morales, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The four rapes allegedly took place in 2018, 2023 and 2024, the last one after the police investigation began.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
During the nine-month-long ordeal, the then-14-year-old was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Assaults involving several attackers accounted for 65% of the rapes.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Berkeley police announced Friday that a multiagency, multistate investigation had linked a series of rapes and kidnappings in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond and Texas — going back to 1994 — to a Texas man who was identified through DNA.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026
The three-week case centers on the Myanmar authorities’ 2019 offensive against the Rohingya population, in which hundreds of thousands were driven into neighbouring Bangladesh alongside reports of mass killings, rapes, and other acts of violence.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Out of the 2,049 rapes that were reported last year, a quarter of them were considered domestic in nature.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
The number of rapes in Bridgeport fell from 62 reports to 40 in 2025, marking a more than 35% decline.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
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
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
The four rapes allegedly took place in 2018, 2023 and 2024, the last one after the police investigation began.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
During the nine-month-long ordeal, the then-14-year-old was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Assaults involving several attackers accounted for 65% of the rapes.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Berkeley police announced Friday that a multiagency, multistate investigation had linked a series of rapes and kidnappings in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond and Texas — going back to 1994 — to a Texas man who was identified through DNA.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026
The three-week case centers on the Myanmar authorities’ 2019 offensive against the Rohingya population, in which hundreds of thousands were driven into neighbouring Bangladesh alongside reports of mass killings, rapes, and other acts of violence.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Out of the 2,049 rapes that were reported last year, a quarter of them were considered domestic in nature.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
The number of rapes in Bridgeport fell from 62 reports to 40 in 2025, marking a more than 35% decline.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
-
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The union filed a grievance on Tuesday, alleging violations to a collective bargaining agreement.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In the last year, there were more than 49,000 cases of abductions and kidnappings in the United States, according to FBI data.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Kidnappings and abductions of this sort—high profile, with a possible ransom—are relatively rare in the United States; missing persons reports more often involve runaways or parental abductions in custody cases.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who violates the amendment can receive a fine of $100,000, imprisonment for one year or both for their first offense.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2026
-
According to the complaint, the companies and their subsidiaries repeatedly increased EpiPen prices and paid pharmacy benefit managers to keep rival products off the market, which violates the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, the Indiana Antitrust Act and the Medicaid False Claims Act.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, Jackson blamed anti-ICE rhetoric for a sharp increase in assaults on immigration officers, a claim frequently cited by the administration, despite previous reporting showing such a rise is not backed by public records.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
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Russian forces have consequently lost command-and-control capabilities and navigation for drones, and assaults have stopped in many sectors, according to Fedorov's adviser Serhii Beskrestnov.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 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
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Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
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The precarious state of her mind forces us to question whether Sylvia and Ted are ghosts, hallucinations or literary inventions sprung to life.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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