Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rape

/ˈɹeɪ̯p/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.48 in modern English

Syllables
rape
IPA
/ˈɹeɪ̯p/
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An experience that is pleasant for one party and unpleasant for the other, particularly when the unwilling partner's suffering is worse than necessary.

Countable; Offensive; Slang; Uncountable

noun

An experience that is pleasant for one party and unpleasant for the other, particularly when the unwilling partner's suffering is worse than necessary.

Countable; Offensive; Slang; Uncountable

noun

The taking of something by force; seizure, plunder.

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

The abduction of a woman, especially for sexual purposes.

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

That which is snatched away.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

Movement, as in snatching; haste; hurry.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

verb

To force sexual intercourse or other sexual activity upon (someone) without their consent.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English rapen, rappen (“to abduct; ravish; seduce; rape; seize; snatch; carry off; transport”), probably from Latin rapiō (verb), possibly through or influenced by Anglo-Norman rap, rape (noun) (compare also ravish). But compare Swedish rappa (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), Low German rapen (“to snatch, seize”), Dutch rapen (“to pick up, gather, collect”); the relationship with Germanic forms is not clear. Cognate with Lithuanian reikėti (“to be in need”). Compare also rap (“seize, snatch”). Further, some senses may be from Etymology 3, an Old Norse word.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: rapen, rapiō, -, rāp, hreppr, raper

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹeɪ̯p/
  • British English: /ˈɹeɪ̯p/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Food.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce rape?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹeɪ̯p/.
What does rape mean?
The act of forcing sex upon another person without their consent or against their will; originally coitus forced by a man on a woman, but now generally any sex act forced by any person upon another person, regardless of gender; by extension, any non-consensual sex act forced on or perpetrated by any being.
Where does rape come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce rape

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “rape”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹeɪ̯p/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “rape”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “rape” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.