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rape

rape

22 9.9
The violent taking and destruction of land and goods during war
  • noun
  • /reɪp/
  • Offensive
translation icon : saqueo
  • Militias and gangs have deployed rape as a weapon of war, bringing devastation to individuals, families, entire communities.

Examples

  • What you call discovery... I call the rape of the natural world.

  • Massacres and rape, routinely used as weapons of war, have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

  • This is The Rape of Rome.

  • Here, some 12-15 million people were uprooted and driven from their homes amid rape and murder.

    Academic text (1999)
  • 13 Rather, the army engaged in indiscriminate acts of terror, including summary executions, rape of civilians, and looting and burning of villages.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The historical records detail the rape of the countryside during the war, leaving towns in ruins.

  • Many civilians suffered from the rape of their homeland, as invading forces looted their resources.

  • The rape of the region was evident in the abandoned buildings and the desolate landscape left behind.

Synonyms

devastation
vsrape
90 4.8

Great destruction that leaves places badly damaged, for example after a war or storm

is more about violent plunder and total removal of a country's wealth
looting
vsrape
72 4.9

Stealing things from shops, often during a riot or disaster

is larger in scale meaning violent country-wide plunder and devastation
plundering
vsrape
2 6.0

The act of taking valuable things by force, often during war

is larger and violent meaning complete country plunder and devastation
rapine
vsrape
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Violent stealing of things from people, often during war

is broader and total meaning violent plunder or destruction of a whole country
ravaging
vsrape
1 8.7

An action that causes great damage or destruction

is total and refers to complete plunder or devastation of a country

Idioms

9.9

To claim someone was raped to get sympathy or advantage

Compounds

statutory rape
  • Offensive
25 8.5

Sex with a person younger than the age the law allows, even if both agree

date rape
  • Offensive
18 7.9

A sexual act that someone forces on a person they know, often after a date

3 8.5

A court decision that says someone committed rape

2 6.5

A person people think forced someone to have sex

ear rape
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A very loud, harsh sound that hurts your ears

9.9

An offensive phrase used to say one person is unfairly treated in a divorce, often about money or child custody

gate rape
  • Offensive
9.9

An unwanted sexual touching of a person at an event entrance during a security check

rape ape
  • Slur
9.9

An extremely offensive insult that says someone commits sexual violence

rape card
  • Offensive
9.9

To claim you were sexually attacked to gain sympathy or avoid blame

rape oil
  • Archaic
5.3

A light yellow oil from rapeseed used for cooking and to help machines run

rape tool
  • Offensive
9.9

An object that helps someone commit sexual assault

regret rape
  • Offensive
9.9

A claim that sex was forced after a person first agreed but later regretted it

9.1

A wild plant like a cabbage with yellow or white flowers and long seed pods

How Devastating

rape
  • Offensive
22 9.9
devastation
90 4.8
to damage
885 1.4

Surface Forms

rape singular
rapes plural

Etymology

The noun rape as 'plunder' also comes from Latin rapere, 'to seize', and was used for violent taking in war, like the grabbing of a city's goods; that's why old histories speak of the 'rape' of a place as great theft and destruction.