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 The judge who granted shock probation to a man later charged with abducting three people before robbing a bank has recused herself from the case. Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Aug. 2025 The film follows skilled martial artist Wang Wei, whose daughter Rainy is abducted by a child trafficking ring. Sara Merican, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025 Another common mistake people make is rounding their shoulders forward, which abducts the scapula (moves the shoulder blades apart from one another). Jenny McCoy, SELF, 25 Aug. 2025 And if abducting all the show's children wasn't enough of a cliffhanger, the season/series ended with Claire Bennigan (Lily Rabe) sacrificing herself to save her son. James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abduct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abduct
kidnap
Verb
  • His absence goes from a missing person to one presumed kidnapped, but no one seems to have a clue.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Starting in 2017, the two men allegedly sent thousands of dollars to co-conspirators in Cameroon for weapons and explosives, directing attacks that killed, injured or kidnapped civilians, according to the indictment.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025

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“Abduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abduct. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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