- [uncountable, countable] the crime of forcing somebody to have sex when they do not want it or are not able to agree to it
- He was charged with rape.
- a rape charge
- an increase in the number of reported rapes
- Rape has often been used as a weapon of war.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- alleged
- attempted
- marital
- …
- victim
- suspect
- accusation
- …
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- [singular] rape (of something) (literary) the act of destroying an area or damaging its beauty in a way that seems unnecessary
- (also oilseed rape)[uncountable] a plant with bright yellow flowers, grown as food for farm animals and for its seeds that are used to make oil
- a field of rape
- refined rape oil
Word Originnoun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English (originally denoting violent seizure of property, later carrying off a woman by force): from Anglo-Norman French rap (noun), raper (verb), from Latin rapere ‘seize’. noun sense 3 late Middle English (originally denoting the turnip plant): from Latin rapum, rapa ‘turnip’.
Check pronunciation:
rape