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
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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
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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
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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 rapes
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026 During her nine-month-long abduction at age 14, Smart was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation. —Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 The rainstorm, however, is the least of Haiti’s worries as authorities continue to see several overlapping developments amid an ongoing rise in kidnappings and rapes and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, all carried out by armed gangs. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026 As the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) wrote in his magnum opus Leviathan, there would be no culture, no navigation, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no arts, no letters, no society; instead, there would be rapes, thefts, murders, and continual fear of violence. —George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026 There was no real investigation into my case based on those two photos found by the police during their investigation into the rapes committed against my mother. —Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026 On average, almost 200 rapes were recorded by the police every single day in the year up to June 2025, which the government say is likely to be an underestimate of how many took place. —Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026 After a task force was formed that year to investigate the rapes, Vilchez Lazo was arrested in July 2018 at his home in San Mateo County. —Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026 Cops did see an 8% jump in rapes, from 470 to 508. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026 And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability. —Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 The girl vomited and went to lie down where Marino allegedly rapes her, the prosecutor added. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026 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
Nor does your letter mention the countless rapes and massacres carried out by Hamas on that day. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026 During her nine-month-long abduction at age 14, Smart was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation. —Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 The rainstorm, however, is the least of Haiti’s worries as authorities continue to see several overlapping developments amid an ongoing rise in kidnappings and rapes and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, all carried out by armed gangs. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026 As the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) wrote in his magnum opus Leviathan, there would be no culture, no navigation, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no arts, no letters, no society; instead, there would be rapes, thefts, murders, and continual fear of violence. —George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026 There was no real investigation into my case based on those two photos found by the police during their investigation into the rapes committed against my mother. —Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026 On average, almost 200 rapes were recorded by the police every single day in the year up to June 2025, which the government say is likely to be an underestimate of how many took place. —Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026 After a task force was formed that year to investigate the rapes, Vilchez Lazo was arrested in July 2018 at his home in San Mateo County. —Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026 Cops did see an 8% jump in rapes, from 470 to 508. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial. —Time, Time, 7 Apr. 2026 And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability. —Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 The girl vomited and went to lie down where Marino allegedly rapes her, the prosecutor added. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026 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
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Both Israel and Hezbollah have traded accusations of ceasefire violations, with a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, killed in an Israeli airstrike just yesterday.— Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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Red-light cameras generate municipal revenue by capturing traffic violations, for which drivers are then fined.— Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s abductions.— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
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The number comes from a 1999 Department of Justice report that used surveys to estimate missing children cases nationwide under broad definitions, including everything from abductions to runaways to brief scares where a kid gets lost for a couple of hours.— Stephen Johnson, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The information is disseminated even if the allegations were proven false, which violates the officers’ constitutional rights, the lawsuit claims.— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
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Opponents at home also say the change violates Japan’s pacifist constitution and will increase global tensions and threaten the safety of the Japanese people.— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Israel’s assaults typically come with some warning — the ominous buzz of low-flying drones, and an evacuation order shared on social media by the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesman.— Nada Bashir, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
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Russia launched 324 drones and three ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, part of a broader surge in aerial assaults, according to Reuters.— Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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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New Yorkers deserve a system that protects them before harm occurs — not one that forces them to fight for years to reclaim what was already theirs.— Darlene Mealy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
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In her latest Netflix action effort, Theron plays a woman who sets off on a trip to Australia to soothe her grief but unwittingly crosses paths with Egerton’s unnerving hunter, who forces her into a game of cat and mouse.— Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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