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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.

She had a stint with Time’s Up, the Hollywood-based group formed to help women combat sexual harassment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

She was part of the team that investigated sexual harassment and assault by Uber and Lyft drivers, and spearheaded the network's coverage of Elizabeth Holmes' criminal fraud trial.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

In 2018, Bardot also dismissed actresses who commented on sexual harassment via the #MeToo movement as "hypocritical, ridiculous, uninteresting".

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

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

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.