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
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 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
Verb
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had issued an Amber Alert for 4-year-old Zola Cooper and 11-month-old Norah Cooper, after investigators said they were abducted by their babysitter, 42-year-old Lakesha Brown. Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 Two girls abducted by their babysitter have been found safe, Atlanta police said Monday afternoon. Taylor Croft, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The girls, Zola Cooper, 4, and Norah Cooper, 11 months, were allegedly abducted by Lakesha Brown. Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 When his friend Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki) is abducted by military elites bent on turning him into a supernatural killer, Kaneda tries to rescue him. David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Aug. 2026 The men were students at an aviation school in Culiacán, and many here suspected that they had been abducted to work on cartel aircraft. Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 An Amber Alert is a public warning system used across the country to help find a child who law enforcement believes has been abducted and may be in danger. Ahmed Jawadi, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 In 2002, Kara Robinson Chamberlain, then 15, escaped and exposed a serial killer after being abducted in broad daylight. Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 Joe has just been abducted from her car, right in front of her house. Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
  • In March 1986, Mary Beth Whitehead and her husband went to a New Jersey hospital and kidnapped a baby girl.
    Arthur L. Caplan, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Body camera video released by the Atlanta Police Department shows the moment officers found two young sisters believed to have been kidnapped from their mother over the weekend.
    Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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