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
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026
Blunt and O'Connor's characters appear to become possessed or abducted by aliens.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 28 May 2026
If even the intelligence services are coming under attack in Iraq, and journalists with powerful passports are abducted in broad daylight, what should local critics expect?
—Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
Authorities are searching for a 5-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by her father after the girl’s mother was killed in Los Angeles.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
An Amber Alert issued for 4-year-old Daleza Fregoso, who was allegedly abducted by a 40-year-old man from Los Angeles on Sunday.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 May 2026
According to the outlet, the suspect was involved in over 30 home invasions and targeted more than 90 victims, with some of those cases happening in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood, where Nancy Guthrie was abducted.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 25 May 2026
All hospitals, as part of their accreditation, have emergency codes and plans for storms, abducted babies, gunmen on the premises.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
In Paige Lewis’s brilliant debut novel, Canon, the beautiful wife of an army general is abducted.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 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
At a time when the United States had just abducted a Venezuelan dictator, was threatening Greenland, and was planning a war in Iran, a serious DNI would have had other priorities.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026
Blunt and O'Connor's characters appear to become possessed or abducted by aliens.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 28 May 2026
If even the intelligence services are coming under attack in Iraq, and journalists with powerful passports are abducted in broad daylight, what should local critics expect?
—Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
Authorities are searching for a 5-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by her father after the girl’s mother was killed in Los Angeles.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
An Amber Alert issued for 4-year-old Daleza Fregoso, who was allegedly abducted by a 40-year-old man from Los Angeles on Sunday.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 May 2026
According to the outlet, the suspect was involved in over 30 home invasions and targeted more than 90 victims, with some of those cases happening in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood, where Nancy Guthrie was abducted.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 25 May 2026
All hospitals, as part of their accreditation, have emergency codes and plans for storms, abducted babies, gunmen on the premises.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
In Paige Lewis’s brilliant debut novel, Canon, the beautiful wife of an army general is abducted.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
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The mother of baby Emmanuel Haro, who claimed he had been kidnapped, pleads guilty to his death.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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While Lala and Gibbs are enjoying their cute moment, and the team is celebrating its rebranding to NCIS, their colleague Randy (Caleb Foote) is kidnapped by unknown assailants.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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