molest

verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈlest 

molested; molesting; molests

transitive verb

1

: to make unwanted or improper sexual advances towards (someone)

especially : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (someone)

He was sent to prison for molesting children.

2

somewhat old-fashioned : to annoy, disturb, or persecute (a person or animal) especially with hostile intent or injurious effect

Who doth molest my contemplation?

—Shakespeare

Bees flew past him, bees flew into him, bees settled upon his coat, bees paused questioningly in front of him … but not a single bee molested him.

—P. G. Wodehouse

At a hearing last week, activists persuaded the commission that the porcupines were being chased, molested and "worried" for human amusement.

—Kelli Anderson

molestation

ˌmō-ˌle-ˈstā-shən 

ˌmä-

-lə-

noun

molester

mə-ˈle-stər 

noun

Examples of molest in a Sentence

He was sent to jail for molesting children.

It was illegal to molest, capture, or kill any of the animals in the park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this month, Chandler police began investigating reports from the parents of a 6-year-old girl who claimed Garcia molested her. —Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 23 May 2024

A week earlier, when a local softball coach was convicted of molesting one of his teenage players, he’d been sentenced to 30 years in prison for abusing his power and betraying his community. —Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 May 2024

After being sent to Hawthorne Cedar Knolls group home at age 11, Sheldon Johnson Jr. was repeatedly abused and molested by both employees and older residents, according to a lawsuit filed in 2021 under the Child Victims Act. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2024

In 2006, he was sentenced to three years in prison in Vietnam for molesting two underage girls. —Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French molester, from Latin molestare, from molestus burdensome, annoying; akin to Latin moles mass

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

molest

verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈləst 

1

: to injure or disturb by interfering : annoy

2

: to make unwelcome sexual advances to

especially : to force physical sexual contact on

molestation

ˌmōl-ˌes-ˈtā-shən 

ˌmōl-əs-

ˌmäl-ˌes-

noun

molester

mə-ˈles-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

molest

transitive verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈlest 

1

: to annoy, disturb, or persecute especially with hostile intent or injurious effect

2

: to make annoying sexual advances to

specifically : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (as a child)

molestation

ˌmō-ˌles-ˈtā-shən, ˌmä-, -ləs- 

noun

molester noun