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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of abducted
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
The statement did not say how old the abducted schoolchildren are but the term ‘pupil’ in Nigeria usually refers to someone in kindergarten or primary school, typically covering ages up to 12.
—
ABC News,
27 Apr. 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
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
Jana Winter,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
At the time, authorities believed she was abducted after her personal belongings were found strewn near her vehicle and across the parking lot.
—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
The students, who were taking their secondary school leaving examinations when they were attacked and abducted, are between 15 and 18 years old.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
In December 1922, two Black men were abducted from the Pilot Point jail after being accused of stealing horses.
—
Kamal Morgan. Produced With Ai Assistance,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 June 2026
According to prosecutors, the victims were abducted three days after cash and luxury items, including Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags, were reported stolen from Arnold at an Airbnb rental in the Tampa area.
—
John Hanna,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
Among those abducted were a mother and her 6-year-old son, who were released Thursday after nearly three months in captivity.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
Rapes were commonplace in both, as were the discoveries of women who had been abducted from elsewhere in the Bay Area and the state by assailants seeking a place to stash them.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
The Wolf King series will see Aurora, after being abducted from a world that treated her as a decorative pawn, uncovering her own wild strength in the sweeping romantasy.
—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
Adjective
There were toddlers among the abducted children, according to the outlet.
—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
The statement did not say how old the abducted schoolchildren are but the term ‘pupil’ in Nigeria usually refers to someone in kindergarten or primary school, typically covering ages up to 12.
—
ABC News,
27 Apr. 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
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
Verb
Media attention on the case has waned considerably since mid-February, when the sheriff and FBI released surveillance footage of an armed prowler in a ski mask shown tampering with Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera shortly before she was abducted.
—
Jana Winter,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
At the time, authorities believed she was abducted after her personal belongings were found strewn near her vehicle and across the parking lot.
—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
The students, who were taking their secondary school leaving examinations when they were attacked and abducted, are between 15 and 18 years old.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
In December 1922, two Black men were abducted from the Pilot Point jail after being accused of stealing horses.
—
Kamal Morgan. Produced With Ai Assistance,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 June 2026
According to prosecutors, the victims were abducted three days after cash and luxury items, including Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags, were reported stolen from Arnold at an Airbnb rental in the Tampa area.
—
John Hanna,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
Among those abducted were a mother and her 6-year-old son, who were released Thursday after nearly three months in captivity.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
Rapes were commonplace in both, as were the discoveries of women who had been abducted from elsewhere in the Bay Area and the state by assailants seeking a place to stash them.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
The Wolf King series will see Aurora, after being abducted from a world that treated her as a decorative pawn, uncovering her own wild strength in the sweeping romantasy.
—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
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His girlfriend, meanwhile, is being held captive by the third in a long line of pirates who have kidnapped her and fallen in love with her beauty.
-
Pluverge, an ice cream maker at Taste the Tropics, came to the United States on asylum after he was kidnapped and tortured by gang members in his home country.
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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