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
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
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
Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door.
—
Ew Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 June 2026
At least 80 school children are still in captivity after being abducted by militants in the southern and northern regions of the country.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
In December 1922, two African American men were abducted from the Pilot Point jail after having been accused of stealing horses.
—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 June 2026
It’s been months since Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, was abducted from her home.
—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Three weeks later, a hunter found Wanner's body dumped in a remote area near Foresthill, about 35 miles from where she was abducted.
—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
17 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
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
Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door.
—
Ew Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 June 2026
At least 80 school children are still in captivity after being abducted by militants in the southern and northern regions of the country.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
In December 1922, two African American men were abducted from the Pilot Point jail after having been accused of stealing horses.
—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 June 2026
It’s been months since Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, was abducted from her home.
—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Three weeks later, a hunter found Wanner's body dumped in a remote area near Foresthill, about 35 miles from where she was abducted.
—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
-
They were forced on kidnapped and sold Africans who were brutally crammed into ships as well as in slave markets in the Deep South.
-
During their journey to the United States, Jacob saw dead bodies while trekking through the jungle, was kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint with his parents, witnessed a rape, and had to sell candy and beg for money, his dad said.
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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