Definition of abductnext
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

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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 One of the albums in the pair’s collection is filled with photographs (of extraordinary, poignant provenance) from the nineteen-forties and fifties of women who, as children, had been abducted and forced into prostitution. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 Moscow has allegedly abducted tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. — Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 An out-of-town attorney was abducted outside a Midtown Manhattan strip club and savagely beaten by four thieves who stole his Rolex watch and iPhone before dumping him in a New Jersey nature reserve, federal officials said Tuesday. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Sep. 2026 Merritt had previously been convicted of abducting the children in violation of a court order, according to the Canadian Press. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abduct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abduct
kidnap
Verb
  • New Investigation Discovery series The Serial Killer Connection explores those through the case of true monster Richard Evonitz, who kidnapped and killed at least three teenage girls in the '80s and '90s.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Initial efforts, including attempts to kidnap Moïse and have Sanon replace him, failed, McLaughlin said, but Sanon persisted.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abduct. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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