acquaintance rape

noun

Rape by somebody personally known by the victim, such as date rape, marital rape, or rape by a teacher or supervisor.

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Meanings

nounacquaintance rape (countable and uncountable, plural acquaintance rapes)

plural acquaintance rapes

  1. countableuncountableRape by somebody personally known by the victim, such as date rape, marital rape, or rape by a teacher or supervisor.

    1999. Andrea Parrot, Coping with date rape and acquaintance rape

    3 more examples

    1990. Maine Department of Public Safety, Acquaintance rape: he's your friend--and he could rape you

    Acquaintance rape has become prevalent partly because these attitudes are so pervasive.

    1991, Andrea Parrot, Laurie Bechhofer, Acquaintance Rape: The Hidden Crime

    1993. "Rape: The Misunderstood Crime" Unique Qualities of Acquaintance Rape Compared to rapes by strangers

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
date rape

Origin

From acquaintance + rape.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

acquaintance rape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acquaintance%20rape

MLA

“acquaintance rape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acquaintance%20rape. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acquaintance rape,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acquaintance%20rape.

Source: acquaintance rape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.