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
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The attack killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The Israeli government says 47 hostages abducted by Hamas and its allies on October 7, 2023 are still in Gaza, including 27 who are believed to be dead.
—Ibrahim Dahman, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
This thrilling prequel stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa and Alyla Browne as young Furiosa, who is abducted by the savage warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) — leader of the Biker Horde — and spends the next decade in captivity plotting her revenge and escape.
—Charlotte Walsh, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The film follows skilled martial artist Wang Wei, whose daughter Rainy is abducted by a child trafficking ring.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
The thousands of Ukrainian children abducted since Russia’s invasion began 3½ years ago are once again at the forefront of international discussions as NATO leaders convened to discuss the war.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Elio follows the story of an 11-year-old orphan, Elio, who feels so alone that his biggest wish is to be abducted by aliens.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Has she been abducted by aliens?
—Max Gao, Variety, 15 Aug. 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
In the following months, they were seized at bus and train stations, beaten at a hospital and abducted by ambulance.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The attack killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The Israeli government says 47 hostages abducted by Hamas and its allies on October 7, 2023 are still in Gaza, including 27 who are believed to be dead.
—Ibrahim Dahman, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
This thrilling prequel stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa and Alyla Browne as young Furiosa, who is abducted by the savage warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) — leader of the Biker Horde — and spends the next decade in captivity plotting her revenge and escape.
—Charlotte Walsh, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The film follows skilled martial artist Wang Wei, whose daughter Rainy is abducted by a child trafficking ring.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
The thousands of Ukrainian children abducted since Russia’s invasion began 3½ years ago are once again at the forefront of international discussions as NATO leaders convened to discuss the war.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Elio follows the story of an 11-year-old orphan, Elio, who feels so alone that his biggest wish is to be abducted by aliens.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Has she been abducted by aliens?
—Max Gao, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
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She was kidnapped two months later by the group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia linked to Iran, after leaving a cafe in Baghdad, according to her family.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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Two years earlier, his son had been kidnapped and held for ransom outside Denver by a group of men claiming to belong to Tren de Aragua.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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