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 Gavin, who was 15 at the time, testified that the singer gave him alcohol and molested him twice at Neverland Ranch, the Australian outlet ABC reported. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026 An Oroville man and accused cult leader was sentenced to 225 years in prison Tuesday for molesting four young girls and raping two women from the group, authorities said. — Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 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 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
  • Of course, parents should intervene when a coach is abusive or a child is genuinely being mistreated.
    — Jonathan Alpert OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Neighbors said the man began kicking and mistreating the dog before eventually luring the husky away from the yard with food.
    — Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of mistreat
Verb
  • California is among the states that successfully sued, in part by arguing that turning over the data would violate state privacy laws.
    — SAFIYAH RIDDLE, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As noted recently by Deadline, other Chinese AI models continue to plunder IP, including MiniMax H3, which generated videos that violated studio brand safety standards 55% of the time when an image was used in a prompt.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of violate
Verb
  • In an interview with Inside Edition on Tuesday, store owner Adam Rubin said that his store has been review-bombed since Clarkson took to social media and named the store, and employees and surrounding businesses have been harassed.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Kirschner said that his staff has been overwhelmed with homeless individuals causing property damage and harassing customers.
    — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of harass
Verb
  • However, that doesn’t explain how they were manhandled by the Gamecocks last week.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Being manhandled at home by a team with the sport’s sixth-lowest payroll is a negative.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 Oct. 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
  • But critics have warned the gloves will give ICE another weapon to intimidate and brutalize people even as the agency is under fire for excessive force that has left a trail of deaths and injuries across the nation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Allegations of abuse, inmates being brutalized by jailers, and dire conditions have plagued the facility for years, leading some county leaders, former sheriffs and civil rights advocates to call for the jail to be closed.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutalize
Verb
  • At least one person died and more than a dozen were injured in a major Ukrainian drone strike yesterday on Saint Petersburg, Russia's former imperial capital.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … NATION IN MOURNING — Canadian service members killed, 19 critically injured after fire rips through base.
    — , FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of injure
Verb
  • James McAvoy recalls his first day on the set of Band of Brothers and says a co-star bullied him.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Musk’s forthright, crusty dad Errol sounds almost proud that something was bullied out of his son, but the movie avoids filling out that traumatic childhood.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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