rape suspect
- noun
- /reɪp ˈsʌspɛkt/
- NSFW
- The trial was delayed because the defense attorney requested additional evidence regarding the rape suspect.
Examples
-
In one case, Arizona officials have already agreed to turn over the name of a man in that state's database whose DNA is a close match with a Denver rape suspect after doing additional tests that will help confirm whether the two men are related.
Academic text (2006) -
The police are searching for a rape suspect who was seen leaving the scene of the crime.
-
After interviewing witnesses, the detectives identified a potential rape suspect whom they wanted to question further.
Synonyms
A person thought to have committed a crime
How Accused
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person suspected of having committed rape' is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents 'rape' (the crime) and 'suspect' (a person thought to have committed a crime). This follows a common noun–modifier pattern found across languages and therefore a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Rape suspect is simply the crime word rape plus suspect, the person people think may have done it. So rape suspect means 'a person thought to have committed rape'.