as in kidnaped
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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as in kidnapped
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Recent Examples of abducted
Irwin Redlener, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
The Amber Alert plan in Michigan began in 2001 and is a partnership between law enforcement and the media to immediately disseminate information to the public about an abducted child using the Emergency Alert System.
—Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Columbia Heights police said Wednesday evening, hours after an Amber Alert went out, that an abducted infant and her mother were found safe in Minneapolis.
—Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 6 Aug. 2025
Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Hamas abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
In July 1976, Carmelo Soria, a United Nations official with full immunity under international law, was abducted on a central Santiago street.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
In the two-part finale, Nick is abducted and shut into the coffin, which isn't just lined with explosives, but cameras that relay his brutal plight to the rest of his team.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Nearly eight years later, Serhat Gumrukcu, 42, of Los Angeles, is facing a mandatory life sentence in the killing of Gregory Davis, who was abducted from his Vermont home and found shot to death at the base of a nearby snowbank in January 2018, according to prosecutors.
—Julia Marnin, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
The mother of a 7-year-old boy who was abducted at gunpoint in July will not face charges related to the incident.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The report draws particular attention to the Eliza Fletcher case in Memphis, in which a woman was abducted and killed in September 2022.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025
In the movie and its following sequels, groups of people who have lived less-than-perfect lives get abducted and placed in sadistic traps.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
The United States, Europe, and every nation that claims to stand for law and justice must continue to insist on the return of abducted children as a nonnegotiable precondition for any settlement.
—Irwin Redlener, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
The Amber Alert plan in Michigan began in 2001 and is a partnership between law enforcement and the media to immediately disseminate information to the public about an abducted child using the Emergency Alert System.
—Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Columbia Heights police said Wednesday evening, hours after an Amber Alert went out, that an abducted infant and her mother were found safe in Minneapolis.
—Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and led to 251 being abducted.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Hamas abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
In July 1976, Carmelo Soria, a United Nations official with full immunity under international law, was abducted on a central Santiago street.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
In the two-part finale, Nick is abducted and shut into the coffin, which isn't just lined with explosives, but cameras that relay his brutal plight to the rest of his team.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Nearly eight years later, Serhat Gumrukcu, 42, of Los Angeles, is facing a mandatory life sentence in the killing of Gregory Davis, who was abducted from his Vermont home and found shot to death at the base of a nearby snowbank in January 2018, according to prosecutors.
—Julia Marnin, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
The mother of a 7-year-old boy who was abducted at gunpoint in July will not face charges related to the incident.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The report draws particular attention to the Eliza Fletcher case in Memphis, in which a woman was abducted and killed in September 2022.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025
In the movie and its following sequels, groups of people who have lived less-than-perfect lives get abducted and placed in sadistic traps.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
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According to police, Kozlowski is being in custody A British man has been charged with the murder of a man who was kidnapped from his home and later died from burn injuries.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
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Israeli hostages When Hamas launched its terrorist attack, militants kidnapped nearly 250 hostages -- including women, children and elderly adults -- and took them into Gaza.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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