rapes 1 of 2

plural of rape
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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rapes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rape
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
Noun
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 The statute of limitations on these rapes expired decades ago. Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 Meanwhile, at least 681 rapes were reported from January to July 2025, with activists noting that unreported cases are much higher. ABC News, 18 June 2026 Three men, including Jackman, have all been tied to serial rapes in the Westport area in the 1980s. Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026 The fighting has fueled additional killings, rapes and for-ransom kidnappings. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 June 2026 The forensic scientists were able to pull a partial print from the crime scene and later matched it to Robert Napper — a man who had already been convicted of killing Bisset and her daughter and been connected to a string of rapes. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 Around 1989, over 70 women were raped in a string of incidents police referred to as the Green Chain rapes. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 June 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
  • 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
Noun
  • 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
  • Richard kept newspaper clippings about their abductions in a locker in his apartment, and authorities later found both fingerprint and DNA evidence connecting him to the crimes, The Washington Post reported.
    Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • If the district violates these state laws, the property would return to state ownership.
    Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2026
  • Aysha Bagchi In a win for Republicans, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal law limiting how much political parties can spend in coordination with an election candidate violates the First Amendment, which establishes the right to free speech.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining its military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount assaults along the front.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
  • Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount front-line assaults.
    Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, a nearly 40% drop from the 2,058 kidnapping reported the previous year, the report stated.
    Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
  • 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
  • This forces the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve between the esophagus and the stomach, to open and close rapidly in succession.
    Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Andy’s diagnosis pulled her back overnight—a common reality for glioblastoma families, since the disease often forces patients to stop working.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 3 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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