as in to kidnap
to carry away (as a person) forcibly or unlawfully
the gangsters planned to abduct the industrialist's young daughter and demand a huge ransom from her family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abduct
American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been released after being abducted a week ago by a Shiite militia group, according to Al-Monitor, one of the publications that has employed her.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
That’s where the 84-year-old mother of NBC host Samantha Guthrie was believed to have been abducted overnight after having dinner with her other daughter.
—Brian Niemietz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Horner admitted to abducting Strand while delivering a package to her father’s home in Paradise, a town of fewer than 500 people about 60 miles northwest of Dallas.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her house over two months ago, and yet the investigation so far has produced very little in the way of results.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abduct
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
That’s where the 84-year-old mother of NBC host Samantha Guthrie was believed to have been abducted overnight after having dinner with her other daughter.
—Brian Niemietz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Horner admitted to abducting Strand while delivering a package to her father’s home in Paradise, a town of fewer than 500 people about 60 miles northwest of Dallas.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her house over two months ago, and yet the investigation so far has produced very little in the way of results.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abduct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abduct
kidnap
Verb
-
And less than two months later, Bateman convinced his followers to kidnap the girls.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Criminal gangs who kidnap for ransom are also active.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abduct. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
