molest

verb

Definition of molestnext
as in to mistreat

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of molest According to the National Park Service, a pet running at large and molesting wildlife may be put down if necessary for public safety or wildlife protection. — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026 From that one girl’s story, police learned that Epstein had been molesting dozens of girls from a West Palm Beach high school. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026 The flurry of headlines about what was left out of the film—most obviously, the 1993 lawsuit that accused Jackson of molesting a 13-year-old, and subsequent lawsuits alleging similar abuse—also haven’t mattered. — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026 Jackson was also charged in 2003 with molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 3 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for molest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for molest
  1. mistreat
  2. violate
  3. harass
  4. manhandle
  5. maltreat
  6. brutalize
  7. injure
  8. bully
Verb
  • Creative labor certainly seems to be disappearing as studios experiment with generative AI, and artists and craftspeople are rightly afraid of being further mistreated, devalued, or replaced.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Riddle says misdiagnosing and mistreating postpartum psychosis can have adverse effects on patients.
    — Louisa Moller, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistreat
Verb
  • In its March 9 lawsuit, Anthropic alleged the government violated its right to free speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution by retaliating against its views on AI safety.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The administration is appealing a June ruling by a lower court that the ban probably violated the troops’ constitutional rights and cannot be enforced against those currently serving while the litigation continues.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of violate
Verb
  • That program didn’t begin as a plan to harass civil rights leaders, anti-war organizers and journalists.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Athletes and coaches say they’re being harassed by gamblers more than ever.
    — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of harass
Verb
  • The Los Angeles Police Department released a video that shows officers at the Valley jail manhandle an uncooperative inmate who died after he was left handcuffed with a bag over his head while laying prone on the bunk in his cell.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • New England lost in demoralizing fashion to the Seahawks last February, 29-13, as the Seattle defense manhandled the Patriots’ offense.
    — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of manhandle
Verb
  • Dependency courts most often involve children who have been removed from parents because they were neglected, abandoned or maltreated.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2026
  • There are bosses in companies that maltreat their workers globally.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of maltreat
Verb
  • How many people will stay home rather than risk being racially profiled and brutalized?
    — Kica Matos, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In 2022, two corrections officers at the Laurens County Detention Center in South Carolina were arrested and charged with brutalizing an inmate and using a GLOVE device to repeatedly stun them, CNN noted.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutalize
Verb
  • Hobbs has not practiced since mid-August, Green was injured in the second preseason game and Prysock went down in the finale.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Park was awarded a Purple Heart, a distinction for those injured or killed in combat.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of injure
Verb
  • Trump has been bullying Canada since the start of his second term.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
  • All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of bully

Browse Nearby Words

moles
molest
molestation
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Cite this Entry

“Molest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/molest. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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