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, 17 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
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Apr. 2026
At the same time, Katie gets abducted by a mysterious neighbor (Hayat Kamille), who lures her in with her favorite chocolates.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
After investigators released key evidence, like images from Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera, early on, seemingly little progress has been made on her whereabouts or the person or people who abducted her.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Video evidence shows Horner abducted the 7-year-old while delivering a package to her home.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026
For more than two and a half years after her disappearance, police searched for her, not knowing she had been murdered the same day she was abducted.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
They are intended for the safe recovery of those under age 18 who have been abducted or whose circumstances indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The issue gained national attention in January, when an anonymous Polymarket user walked away with more than $400,000 after placing a large wager that Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro would be ousted by the end of the month, just hours before US troops invaded the country and abducted him.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026
An Arizona girl who vanished at 13 and was long feared abducted has been found alive — now living a quiet life as a married mother of three working for a private investigations company, according to a report.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Search and rescue operations are underway in the northern central state to ensure the safe return of all abducted persons, the governor said.
—ABC News, 17 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
During that conversation, Guthrie spoke about the possibility that her mother was abducted because of her.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Apr. 2026
At the same time, Katie gets abducted by a mysterious neighbor (Hayat Kamille), who lures her in with her favorite chocolates.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
After investigators released key evidence, like images from Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera, early on, seemingly little progress has been made on her whereabouts or the person or people who abducted her.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Video evidence shows Horner abducted the 7-year-old while delivering a package to her home.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026
For more than two and a half years after her disappearance, police searched for her, not knowing she had been murdered the same day she was abducted.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
They are intended for the safe recovery of those under age 18 who have been abducted or whose circumstances indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The issue gained national attention in January, when an anonymous Polymarket user walked away with more than $400,000 after placing a large wager that Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro would be ousted by the end of the month, just hours before US troops invaded the country and abducted him.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026
An Arizona girl who vanished at 13 and was long feared abducted has been found alive — now living a quiet life as a married mother of three working for a private investigations company, according to a report.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
-
Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped by what police believe was a masked assailant sometime between the night of January 31 and the early hours of February 1.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Everyone else just seems happy to be invited, to have a great time in the countryside, slurping up Champagne and trying not to get kidnapped by a gorilla.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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