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, 27 Apr. 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
Anika Reed, USA Today, 8 May 2026
One character, a troubled traveling man named Herald Loomis (Joshua Boone), bears the scars of post-slavery enslavement after being abducted into seven years of hard labor under Joe Turner.
—Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 6 May 2026
Lukehart told officers Hanshaw was abducted from the front of his girlfriend’s home, but later claimed the abduction occurred at a store before eventually admitting to killing the girl.
—Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Our city’s lack of a proactive plan leaves over 1 million members of our community at risk of being abducted.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 4 May 2026
Smart was abducted at 14 and held captive for nine months before being rescued in 2003.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
The suspect, Jefferson Lewis, allegedly abducted the girl at an Indigenous community near Alice Springs in the central Australia at the weekend.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
The suspect, Jefferson Lewis, allegedly abducted the girl at an Indigenous community near Alice Springs in the central Australia over the weekend.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
In The Second Lady, when America’s beloved First Lady is abducted and replaced by a Russian double, both women must fight to survive—one navigating captivity in Siberia, the other infiltrating the White House to sabotage NATO during the G7 Summit.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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
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
At 14, she was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, home in June 2002.
—Anika Reed, USA Today, 8 May 2026
One character, a troubled traveling man named Herald Loomis (Joshua Boone), bears the scars of post-slavery enslavement after being abducted into seven years of hard labor under Joe Turner.
—Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 6 May 2026
Lukehart told officers Hanshaw was abducted from the front of his girlfriend’s home, but later claimed the abduction occurred at a store before eventually admitting to killing the girl.
—Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Our city’s lack of a proactive plan leaves over 1 million members of our community at risk of being abducted.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 4 May 2026
Smart was abducted at 14 and held captive for nine months before being rescued in 2003.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
The suspect, Jefferson Lewis, allegedly abducted the girl at an Indigenous community near Alice Springs in the central Australia at the weekend.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
The suspect, Jefferson Lewis, allegedly abducted the girl at an Indigenous community near Alice Springs in the central Australia over the weekend.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
In The Second Lady, when America’s beloved First Lady is abducted and replaced by a Russian double, both women must fight to survive—one navigating captivity in Siberia, the other infiltrating the White House to sabotage NATO during the G7 Summit.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
-
The governor was embroiled in a scandal in 2023 involving the Sinaloa cartel, in which his name was published in a letter written by a then-Sinaloa cartel capo whose leaders of a rival faction the cartel had kidnapped.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
-
Cartel members stole ballot boxes and kidnapped or intimidated opponents to drop out of the race to ensure his victory, according to the indictment.—
Mauricio Torres,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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