as in kidnapping
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 abducting
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CBS News in an exclusive interview that his government has evidence that Russia is abducting Ukrainian children and training them to fight against fellow Ukrainians.
—
Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Tension reaches a breaking point when the children vanish, abducting the town’s youth, including Daniel’s stepdaughter.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Since 1971, Robert Hansen, an unassuming 44-year-old Anchorage bakery owner and married father of two, had been abducting dancers and prostitutes, flying them to the backcountry on his Piper Super Cub plane and then releasing them and—armed with a gun and hunting knife—stalking them like wild prey.
—Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Emmanuel Fremiet won a medal from the Paris Salon in 1887 for his large sculpture of a gorilla abducting a white woman.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 18 May 2026
Police said about 30 minutes after allegedly abducting the teen girl, the suspect took her to the gas station where Abohatem worked and told her to buy him cigarettes.
—Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
At the start of the trial, Horner admitted to abducting Athena while delivering a package to her father’s home in Paradise, a town of fewer than 500 people about 60 miles northwest of Dallas.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Horner told a false story about hitting Athena with the truck and abducting her in a panic, Espinoza said.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
Marina Noriega, 23, was indicted for abducting toddler Kehlani Rogers last month, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in a news release.
—Michelle Cruz, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Tension reaches a breaking point when the children vanish, abducting the town’s youth, including Daniel’s stepdaughter.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Since 1971, Robert Hansen, an unassuming 44-year-old Anchorage bakery owner and married father of two, had been abducting dancers and prostitutes, flying them to the backcountry on his Piper Super Cub plane and then releasing them and—armed with a gun and hunting knife—stalking them like wild prey.
—Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Emmanuel Fremiet won a medal from the Paris Salon in 1887 for his large sculpture of a gorilla abducting a white woman.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 18 May 2026
Police said about 30 minutes after allegedly abducting the teen girl, the suspect took her to the gas station where Abohatem worked and told her to buy him cigarettes.
—Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
At the start of the trial, Horner admitted to abducting Athena while delivering a package to her father’s home in Paradise, a town of fewer than 500 people about 60 miles northwest of Dallas.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Horner told a false story about hitting Athena with the truck and abducting her in a panic, Espinoza said.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
Marina Noriega, 23, was indicted for abducting toddler Kehlani Rogers last month, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in a news release.
—Michelle Cruz, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducting
kidnapping
Verb
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TdA members maintain control over their victims by threatening their families, assaulting them, and tracking down and kidnapping women who attempt to flee.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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Last month, a Santa Monica man, also unaffiliated with the university, was charged with kidnapping a female UCLA student in March to try to rape her.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abducting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducting. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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