molest
/məˈlɛst
/verb [with object]
1Assault or abuse (a person, especially a woman or child) sexually: he was charged with molesting and taking obscene photographs of a ten-year-old boy...
- We know he abused and sexually molested children.
- The singer has now been formally charged with sexually molesting a child after giving him alcohol.
- A private hire driver who sexually molested a teenage girl in his cab has been jailed for three years.
Synonyms
abuse, sexually abuse, assault, sexually assault, interfere with, rape, violate, attack, hurt, harm, injure
informal maul, grope, paw
dated ravish
2 dated Pester or harass (someone) in an aggressive or persistent manner: the crowd were shouting abuse and molesting the two police officers...
- I hereby apply to have the said demand set aside and to stop the Defendant and their agent and solicitor from harassing and molesting me.
- If anyone should try to molest him or thieve from him, the dogs were there on hand to attack them.
- The army was warned not to molest the citizens in any manner, and the commanders were cautioned exercise maximum vigilance to this end.
Synonyms
harass, harry, pester, beset, persecute, torment, plague
North American informal roust
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'cause trouble to, vex'): from Old French molester or Latin molestare 'annoy', from molestus 'troublesome'.
Rhymes
- requisitor
- requisitorial
- requisitory
- re-quit
- requit
- requitable
- unprepossessedly
- unprepossessing
- unpreposterous
- unprescient
- unprescribed
- unpresentability
- unpresentable
- unpresented
- unpreservable
- unpreserved
- unpresidential
- unpressed
- unpressured
- unpressurised
- unpressurized
- unpresumed
- unpresuming
- unpresumptuous
- unpresumptuously