WordWeb Online

1. (law) a statutory offence that provides that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat
   "most states have replaced the common law definition of rape with statutes defining sex offence"; "most states have replaced the common law definition of rape with statutes defining sex offence";
   - sexual assault, sexual abuse, sex crime, sex offense [US], abuse

Derived forms: sex offences

Type of: regulatory offence [Brit, Cdn], regulatory offense [US], statutory offence [Brit, Cdn], statutory offense [US]

Encyclopedia: Sex offence