as in kidnapped
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as in captured
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 abducted
ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie is making a last-minute plea for help in finding her abducted mother, Nancy Guthrie.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2026
According to a criminal complaint, in December, the mother of the abducted girl had an unusual encounter with Bragg on Facebook.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
In response to Amber's heart-wrenching case, a Texas mom named Diana Simone had the idea to create an emergency system for abducted children, similar to a weather or civil defense alert.
—Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
The 38 abducted worshipers were freed almost a week later.
—Rachel Wolf , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Based on the Arsène Lupin character Maurice Leblanc created in the early 1900s, the series initially followed Assane’s revenge mission against the Pellegrini family who wronged his father, before morphing into a search for his abducted son and then on to his mission to steal the Black Pearl.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
The remaining 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State in November have been released, a presidential spokesman said on Sunday, confirming that all abducted pupils are now free.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 21 Dec. 2025
Cheery and resolute Vault 33 dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell) left her underground home to find her abducted father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), and in doing so realized the difficulty of living by the golden rule in a world that’s defined by ruthlessness and want.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
The evidence showed that Boots was forcibly abducted, court records show.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Duffy, the Welsh singer who was abducted, held captive for weeks, and raped, leading to her retreat from the public eye, will give her account of the harrowing ordeal in a new Hulu Original documentary for Disney+.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 25 Mar. 2026
Years later, Duffy posted on social media that she had been abducted and assaulted.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
When his daughter Rainy is abducted, humble tradesman Wang Wei is thrust into a deadly underworld of corruption and violence.
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Dissidents were abducted and taken to clandestine detention centers, where they were tortured and held in inhumane conditions.
—Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Japan believes more people might have been abducted and that some could still be alive.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Florida executed a man Tuesday evening for the brutal 2008 rape and murder of a married mother of two young sons who called 911 and begged for help while tied up in her car after she was abducted.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The African Union, which includes 55 member states on the continent, condemned the attack Sunday and called for the release of abducted women and children.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie is making a last-minute plea for help in finding her abducted mother, Nancy Guthrie.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2026
According to a criminal complaint, in December, the mother of the abducted girl had an unusual encounter with Bragg on Facebook.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
In response to Amber's heart-wrenching case, a Texas mom named Diana Simone had the idea to create an emergency system for abducted children, similar to a weather or civil defense alert.
—Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
The 38 abducted worshipers were freed almost a week later.
—Rachel Wolf , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Based on the Arsène Lupin character Maurice Leblanc created in the early 1900s, the series initially followed Assane’s revenge mission against the Pellegrini family who wronged his father, before morphing into a search for his abducted son and then on to his mission to steal the Black Pearl.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
The remaining 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State in November have been released, a presidential spokesman said on Sunday, confirming that all abducted pupils are now free.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 21 Dec. 2025
Cheery and resolute Vault 33 dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell) left her underground home to find her abducted father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), and in doing so realized the difficulty of living by the golden rule in a world that’s defined by ruthlessness and want.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Verb
But four of his employees alleged that they were beaten, abducted and tortured by the Ecuadoran military.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
The evidence showed that Boots was forcibly abducted, court records show.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Duffy, the Welsh singer who was abducted, held captive for weeks, and raped, leading to her retreat from the public eye, will give her account of the harrowing ordeal in a new Hulu Original documentary for Disney+.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 25 Mar. 2026
Years later, Duffy posted on social media that she had been abducted and assaulted.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
When his daughter Rainy is abducted, humble tradesman Wang Wei is thrust into a deadly underworld of corruption and violence.
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Dissidents were abducted and taken to clandestine detention centers, where they were tortured and held in inhumane conditions.
—Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Japan believes more people might have been abducted and that some could still be alive.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Florida executed a man Tuesday evening for the brutal 2008 rape and murder of a married mother of two young sons who called 911 and begged for help while tied up in her car after she was abducted.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
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The pain was particularly acute for worshippers who knew people who had been murdered or kidnapped by Hamas fighters.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
One morning in 1980, Carl Fletcher, head of one of the richest Jewish families in Long Island and owner of a local plastics factory, is ambushed and kidnapped from his driveway.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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