Meaning & use
sodomising a person
Last updated
“sodomising a person” is a form of “sodomise”.
Meaning
verbtransitiveformallegaloffensive
The act of forcing someone to take part in anal or oral-anal sexual contact, especially as a crime in older legal language.
Grammar: Used with an object: sodomising a person. In British English often spelled sodomising; in American English sodomizing.
Patterns
- sodomising a person
- sodomise someone
The old law made sodomising a person a serious offence.
He was accused of sodomising a person, but the case was later dropped.
The court heard details of the charge of sodomising a person.
Word forms
| third person singular | sodomises |
|---|---|
| past tense | sodomised |
| past participle | sodomised |
| -ing form | sodomising |
Common combinations
- accused of sodomising
- He was accused of sodomising a young man.
- charged with sodomising
- She was charged with sodomising a minor.
- sodomising a person
- The law specifically mentions sodomising a person.
Synonyms and how they differ
- buggering
- British slang, very informal; stronger and more offensive than the legal term sodomising.
- anal rape
- Focuses on the lack of consent; sodomising can sometimes be consensual in modern usage, though the legal term often implies force.
Word family
Commonly confused: sodomising a person or sodomizing?
sodomising a person vs sodomizing
American spelling of the same word; use -izing in US English.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
The verb is transitive and needs a direct object: sodomising a person. Without an object (option 2) the sentence is incomplete, and options 3 and 4 use the wrong prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sodomising a person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.