kidnapped also kidnaped
ˈkid-ˌnapt 
; kidnapping also kidnaping
; kidnapping also kidnaping
: to seize and detain or carry away by unlawful force or fraud and often with a demand for ransom
kidnapper
noun
or less commonly kidnaper
Examples of kidnap in a Sentence
the child of the wealthy industrialist was kidnapped and held for ransom
Recent Examples on the Web
The Haitian population is being exploited, raped, kidnapped, and recruited by armed gangs.
—
Jacqueline Charles
july 3, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
The Amber Alert system got its start in 1996; Amber stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and brutally murdered.
—Liz Kellar, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Posing as an electrical repairman, Jordan then went to the loan officer’s residence and kidnapped Edwina, who was home with her 3-year-old son, at gunpoint, the MDOC said.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 28 June 2025
In the film’s third act, Cady is kidnapped, and Gemma and her team must rescue her and stop Amelia from reaching an even more powerful AI known as the Motherboard.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for kidnap
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Jacqueline Charles
july 3, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
The Amber Alert system got its start in 1996; Amber stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and brutally murdered.
—Liz Kellar, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Posing as an electrical repairman, Jordan then went to the loan officer’s residence and kidnapped Edwina, who was home with her 3-year-old son, at gunpoint, the MDOC said.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 28 June 2025
In the film’s third act, Cady is kidnapped, and Gemma and her team must rescue her and stop Amelia from reaching an even more powerful AI known as the Motherboard.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for kidnap
Cite this Entry
“Kidnap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kidnap. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
Etymology
probably back-formation from kidnapper, from kid child + obsolete napper thief
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