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
To be fair, abducted 9-year-old Rainy is pretty cute, with solemn eyebrows and a conscience that continually puts her in peril.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Little John, who Robin must have conscripted as a child soldier back in the day (a team-up that Robin eventually paints in a very different light), asks his old pal to kill the people who abducted his wife.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 June 2026
It's been over three decades since Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted while walking to school.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Smith is accused of abducting and assaulting an unnamed female victim near the 5400 block of North San Joaquin, a dirt road flanked by small homes and a horse barn about a 15-minute drive west of Guthrie's home.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for abduct
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Little John, who Robin must have conscripted as a child soldier back in the day (a team-up that Robin eventually paints in a very different light), asks his old pal to kill the people who abducted his wife.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 June 2026
It's been over three decades since Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted while walking to school.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Smith is accused of abducting and assaulting an unnamed female victim near the 5400 block of North San Joaquin, a dirt road flanked by small homes and a horse barn about a 15-minute drive west of Guthrie's home.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for abduct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abduct
kidnap
Verb
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After all, 70 percent of all African people kidnapped as part of the Transatlantic Slave Trade were enslaved on sugar plantations.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
12 June 2026
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Guthrie has been missing since early 2026, after reportedly being kidnapped from her Arizona home.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abduct. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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