abducted 1 of 2

abducted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of abduct
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 abducted
Adjective
The gang later released six children and seven women following an intervention by community leaders and UNICEF, but dozens remain abducted. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 The human-rights organization said the dozens of abducted residents were being held by several gang leaders in at least two different locations. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 Agent Mulder, hot on the trail of a group of murderers who are harvesting their victims' organs, breaks into a makeshift laboratory in an attempt to save an abducted woman. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Beyond the official count Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA, the official tracker of abducted children, lists over 20,000 possible cases of forcible deportation and transfer of children by Russia. — Thom Reilly, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 There were toddlers among the abducted children, according to the outlet. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026 The dual timelines will continue, and the present-day Scarpetta will have a heavy new case, focusing on abducted teenage girls. — Barry Levitt, Time, 12 Mar. 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
Verb
Italian prosecutors maintained that members of Egypt’s security services abducted, detained, tortured and killed Regeni, while Egyptian authorities repeatedly denied state involvement and disputed the findings of the Italian investigation. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026 One of the albums in the pair’s collection is filled with photographs (of extraordinary, poignant provenance) from the nineteen-forties and fifties of women who, as children, had been abducted and forced into prostitution. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 Moscow has allegedly abducted tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. — Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 An out-of-town attorney was abducted outside a Midtown Manhattan strip club and savagely beaten by four thieves who stole his Rolex watch and iPhone before dumping him in a New Jersey nature reserve, federal officials said Tuesday. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Sep. 2026 In June, in a southeastern area facing a prolonged dry spell, men abducted a rainmaker named Albino Lobillia and buried him alive, according to witnesses. — Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026 The thriller novel by author Lee Child was originally released in 1998, and as the comment suggests, follows Jack Reacher and a politician’s daughter as they are abducted by a radical militia to be used as leverage in political negotiations. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026 But in season 3, the tables turn when Joe is abducted by an unknown enemy, sending her team on a desperate mission to bring her home. — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026 The second book in Child’s series, Die Trying follows Jack Reacher as he and a politician’s daughter are abducted by a radical militia, who want to use her as leverage to secede from the United States. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
  • Royce Keys, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price set Jey and Jimmy Usos’ car on fire and, last week, kidnapped Solo Sikoa before dropping him off near a beach.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The 84-year-old woman’s family was sent multiple ransom notes when Nancy was first kidnapped in early 2026, with two of those being released in full by police in July.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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