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
JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Over 1,000 people were murdered and hundreds more abducted.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
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
Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Nigeria also comes out on top as the country where most Christians are abducted for faith reasons, Blyth said.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Around 500 Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz, killing 47 people and taking 76 hostages out of the 251 abducted across Israel that day.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The reason for Emma Stone’s bald head, Bugonia stars Stone as a pharmaceutical CEO who is abducted by conspiracy-theorist cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis).
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2025
After their friend Matty (Miles Ekhardt) is abducted by a supernatural family with a flying mutant baby in the opening scene, the kids set off to investigate.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
The film begins six years after the end of Halloween 5, with Michael and Jamie being abducted by a cult.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Despite extensive search efforts in the days that follow, Zooey and anyone who might have abducted her are nowhere to be found.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Zalmanovich was abducted alive from his house at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel and is thought to have been killed in captivity on November 17, 2023, at the age of 85.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The 1949 Abducted Persons (Recovery and Restoration) Act provides the framework by which Lajo’s husband and brother return from India to get her; under that edict, India and Pakistan agreed to exchange abducted women.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Over 1,000 people were murdered and hundreds more abducted.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
With the help of the lead detective assigned to their case (Michael Peña), the Irvines quickly deduce that Milo was likely abducted by Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis), the 21-year-old nanny of Marissa’s new friend Jenny (Dakota Fanning), a publishing executive.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Nigeria also comes out on top as the country where most Christians are abducted for faith reasons, Blyth said.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Around 500 Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz, killing 47 people and taking 76 hostages out of the 251 abducted across Israel that day.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The reason for Emma Stone’s bald head, Bugonia stars Stone as a pharmaceutical CEO who is abducted by conspiracy-theorist cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis).
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2025
After their friend Matty (Miles Ekhardt) is abducted by a supernatural family with a flying mutant baby in the opening scene, the kids set off to investigate.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
The film begins six years after the end of Halloween 5, with Michael and Jamie being abducted by a cult.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Despite extensive search efforts in the days that follow, Zooey and anyone who might have abducted her are nowhere to be found.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Zalmanovich was abducted alive from his house at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel and is thought to have been killed in captivity on November 17, 2023, at the age of 85.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducted
kidnapped
Verb
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Phantom Son will center on Ronnie, a young and struggling runaway taken in by Audrey (Zellweger), a lonely woman whose own son was kidnapped twenty years earlier.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
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The story follows Ronnie, a young runaway struggling to survive on the street, who is taken in by Audrey (Zellweger), a lonely woman whose own son was kidnapped 20 years prior.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abducted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducted. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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