as in kidnapped
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
ABC News, 23 Feb. 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
Michael Guise, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Guthrie has been absent from the morning show since her mother Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Tucson-area home early last month.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The co-host visited with colleagues in her first appearance at NBC since her mother, Nancy, was abducted January 31.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026
Guthrie's mother Nancy, 84, was abducted from her home in Arizona in February.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
Authorities believe the 84-year-old was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
In January, an anonymous Polymarket user walked away with more than $400,000 after placing a bet that Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro would be ousted as leader by the end of the month, just hours before US troops invaded the country and abducted him .
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026
And that could be exciting, too, like the fantasy of being abducted by a Floyd with his big hands.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Morgan Jade Violi was abducted from a Bowling Green apartment complex on July 24, 1996.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The African Union, which includes 55 member states on the continent, condemned the attack Sunday and called for the release of abducted women and children.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 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
Middlesex police said on Tuesday that officers were called to the Love's Truck Stop on Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle around noon to assist in locating a child who had been abducted from Martinsburg earlier in the day.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Guthrie has been absent from the morning show since her mother Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Tucson-area home early last month.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The co-host visited with colleagues in her first appearance at NBC since her mother, Nancy, was abducted January 31.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026
Guthrie's mother Nancy, 84, was abducted from her home in Arizona in February.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
Authorities believe the 84-year-old was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
In January, an anonymous Polymarket user walked away with more than $400,000 after placing a bet that Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro would be ousted as leader by the end of the month, just hours before US troops invaded the country and abducted him .
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026
And that could be exciting, too, like the fantasy of being abducted by a Floyd with his big hands.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Morgan Jade Violi was abducted from a Bowling Green apartment complex on July 24, 1996.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
-
His family believes Israeli operatives kidnapped him to get information about the case and took him to Israel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years, those proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Houthis and more have murdered, raped, tortured and kidnapped thousands.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
