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
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2
as in kidnaping
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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Examples of rape in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
They were arrested and charged for the rape and assault of Meili and other crimes.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
Vicki went to the hospital, where a rape kit was done.
—Stephanie Warsmith and Paula Schleis, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
Some farmers and their workers died or were seriously injured in the violence that included beatings and rape, according to Human Rights Watch.
—Farai Mutsaka, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Jo had flashbacks to meeting her mother and learning that she had been conceived in rape.
—Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2024
Explore More Donald Trump Cannes rape Talking Points 2024 presidential election
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—Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 15 Oct. 2024
But relentlessly harassed by threats of murder and rape, Hamidi now lives under constant police protection.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
This astonishing case has become a national teachable moment in France – and internationally - where rape and domestic abuse are a skyrocketing threat.
—Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
The other, who was in his teens, says that he was raped while auditioning for MTV’s Making the Band, where Combs was an executive producer.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 29 Oct. 2024
His mother, Lula Elizabeth Cliff, was raped by four white men and Ailey recalled seeing Ku Klux Klan members as a child.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Rosselló was allegedly raped by Menendez a second time in a New York City hotel, per the petition.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
In 2022, McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE and the following year paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to Rita Chatterton, a former employee and referee, who accused McMahon of raping her in 1986.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
One woman in the study said she had been raped in a hurricane shelter and wanted to terminate the pregnancy.
—Ariel Wittenberg, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
The civil lawsuit, filed by an unidentified plaintiff in Los Angeles Superior Court and seeking unspecified damages, accused Polanski of raping a minor in 1973 after giving her alcohol.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024
She was raped in April 1987, one month before Michelle, by a man with a knife who bound her arms and legs and stole her car keys — steps also taken by Michelle and Janice’s attackers.
—Stephanie Warsmith and Paula Schleis, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
Noun
That lawsuit, from Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, who has already filed six previous jury-seeking suits against Combs for rape and more, was filed Sunday in New York federal court under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
They were arrested and charged for the rape and assault of Meili and other crimes.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
Vicki went to the hospital, where a rape kit was done.
—Stephanie Warsmith and Paula Schleis, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
Some farmers and their workers died or were seriously injured in the violence that included beatings and rape, according to Human Rights Watch.
—Farai Mutsaka, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Jo had flashbacks to meeting her mother and learning that she had been conceived in rape.
—Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2024
Explore More Donald Trump Cannes rape Talking Points 2024 presidential election
To continue reading this article...
Create a free account
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 15 Oct. 2024
But relentlessly harassed by threats of murder and rape, Hamidi now lives under constant police protection.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
This astonishing case has become a national teachable moment in France – and internationally - where rape and domestic abuse are a skyrocketing threat.
—Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
The lawsuit alleges the music producer, real name Leland Wayne, drugged and raped a woman in 2016, resulting in her pregnancy.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
The other, who was in his teens, says that he was raped while auditioning for MTV’s Making the Band, where Combs was an executive producer.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 29 Oct. 2024
His mother, Lula Elizabeth Cliff, was raped by four white men and Ailey recalled seeing Ku Klux Klan members as a child.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Rosselló was allegedly raped by Menendez a second time in a New York City hotel, per the petition.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
In 2022, McMahon stepped down as CEO of WWE and the following year paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to Rita Chatterton, a former employee and referee, who accused McMahon of raping her in 1986.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
One woman in the study said she had been raped in a hurricane shelter and wanted to terminate the pregnancy.
—Ariel Wittenberg, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
The civil lawsuit, filed by an unidentified plaintiff in Los Angeles Superior Court and seeking unspecified damages, accused Polanski of raping a minor in 1973 after giving her alcohol.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024
She was raped in April 1987, one month before Michelle, by a man with a knife who bound her arms and legs and stole her car keys — steps also taken by Michelle and Janice’s attackers.
—Stephanie Warsmith and Paula Schleis, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rape.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near rape
Cite this Entry
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rape. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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