molest

verb

mo·​lest mə-ˈlest How to pronounce molest (audio)
molested; molesting; molests

transitive verb

1
: to make unwanted or improper sexual advances towards (someone)
especially : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (someone)
He was sent to prison for molesting children.
2
somewhat old-fashioned : to annoy, disturb, or persecute (a person or animal) especially with hostile intent or injurious effect
Who doth molest my contemplation?Shakespeare
Bees flew past him, bees flew into him, bees settled upon his coat, bees paused questioningly in front of him … but not a single bee molested him.P. G. Wodehouse
At a hearing last week, activists persuaded the commission that the porcupines were being chased, molested and "worried" for human amusement.Kelli Anderson
molestation noun
molester noun

Examples of molest in a Sentence

He was sent to jail for molesting children. It was illegal to molest, capture, or kill any of the animals in the park.
Recent Examples on the Web Drake Bell is defending his Drake & Josh costar Josh Peck for not commenting publicly about the explosive new documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, in which Bell revealed he was molested as a teen. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024 All About the Nickelodeon Creator Mentioned in Quiet on Set Schneider also spoke to Drake Bell’s revelations that he was repeatedly molested by dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Bell's co-star Josh Peck) when Bell was 15. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Cliff Gardner: The idea back then was, A, dads don't molest their children. Natalie Morales, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2024 Gypsy-Rose says during that time she was molested by her grandpa. USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024 Almost all of the charges accuse Bishop of molesting girls 14 years old or younger, according to the criminal complaint. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024 Seven months later, in March, National City police made a shocking announcement: Ma had been arrested, accused of molesting child who had been a student at her school. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2024 The investigation into Peck began after the child’s family reported that the dialogue coach had molested the minor over a six-month period. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 An Indiana man is accused of molesting two children, ages 13 and 8, and violating his lifetime parole. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'molest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French molester, from Latin molestare, from molestus burdensome, annoying; akin to Latin moles mass

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of molest was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near molest

Cite this Entry

“Molest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/molest. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

molest

verb
mo·​lest mə-ˈləst How to pronounce molest (audio)
1
: to injure or disturb by interfering : annoy
2
: to make unwelcome sexual advances to
especially : to force physical sexual contact on
molestation
ˌmōl-ˌes-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce molest (audio)
ˌmōl-əs-
ˌmäl-ˌes-
noun
molester noun

Legal Definition

molest

transitive verb
mo·​lest mə-ˈlest How to pronounce molest (audio)
1
: to annoy, disturb, or persecute especially with hostile intent or injurious effect
2
: to make annoying sexual advances to
specifically : to force physical and usually sexual contact on (as a child)
molester noun

More from Merriam-Webster on molest

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