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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Recent Examples of abduct
Any hopes that 2026 would provide stabilization, either economically or geopolitically, were dashed with US attack on Venezuela to abduct President Nicolás Maduro on January 3 and, eight weeks later, the launching of the current war with Iran.
—
Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
At the start of the trial, Horner admitted to abducting Athena 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, 14 Apr. 2026
Video evidence shows Horner abducted the 7-year-old while delivering a package to her home.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026
For more than two and a half years after her disappearance, police searched for her, not knowing she had been murdered the same day she was abducted.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abduct
Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
At the start of the trial, Horner admitted to abducting Athena 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, 14 Apr. 2026
Video evidence shows Horner abducted the 7-year-old while delivering a package to her home.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026
For more than two and a half years after her disappearance, police searched for her, not knowing she had been murdered the same day she was abducted.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for abduct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abduct
kidnap
Verb
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Investigators believe Horner planned to kidnap and murder Athena.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
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Investigators subsequently learned she had been kidnapped at knifepoint and taken from her bedroom by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abduct. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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