Showing results for marital rape. Search instead for marital+status.

marital rape

American

[mar-i-tl reyp] / ˈmær ɪ tl ˌreɪp /

noun

sexual assault perpetrated by someone who is the spouse or long-term domestic partner of the person they assault.

Etymology

Origin of marital rape

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She lobbied legislatures, delivered speeches around the country and frequently appeared in the media, including on an episode of “The Phil Donahue Show” devoted to the topic of marital rape.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

The judgement has been met with anger, as activists, lawyers and campaigners renew their calls to criminalise marital rape in India.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2025

And last Wednesday in India, the Delhi High Court issued a split verdict in the case challenging the country’s marital rape exception.

From New York Times • May 19, 2022

All the way up to the 1990s, Hale's views on rape, particularly marital rape, were commonly cited in English and American jurisprudence.

From Salon • May 11, 2022

It might be tempting to suppose that modern America has wholly repudiated marital rape exemptions.

From Washington Post • May 9, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023