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Synonyms

sexual harassment

American  
[sek-shoo-uhl huh-ras-muhnt, har-uhs-muhnt] / ˈsɛk ʃu əl həˈræs mənt, ˈhær əs mənt /

noun

  1. unwelcome sexual advances, either verbal or physical, especially by someone with power or authority.

    Employees complained about a corporate culture that turned a blind eye to discrimination, microaggressions, and sexual harassment.
sexual harassment British  

noun

  1. the persistent unwelcome directing of sexual remarks and looks, and unnecessary physical contact at a person, usually a woman, esp in the workplace

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sexual harassment

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gilbert also told Stephanopoulos that before she married Busfield, she was aware he had been accused of sexual harassment twice by different women, once in 1994 and another time in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Bob Woodward reported in “Fear” that Donald Trump once offered a friend accused of sexual harassment a simple strategy: “You’ve got to deny, deny, deny and push back… if you admit to anything, you’re dead.”

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

In 1979, Catharine MacKinnon published her breakthrough book The Sexual Harassment of Working Women, which theorized how sexual harassment violated the law.

From Slate • Nov. 24, 2025

Metropolitan Hilarion admits mistakes in his treatment of Suzuki, but denies sexual harassment as well as spying.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

Meier said she isn’t ignoring sexual harassment allegations, but likes Cuomo’s pledge to hire 5,000 new police officers, which makes her feel safer particularly amid rising antisemitism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.