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
Nathan Alan Gingles is accused of abducting his 4-year-daughter and killing her mother, grandfather and a neighbor in Tamarac.
—
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The Poquianchis recruited young girls from nearby towns and farms, deceiving families with false promises of work or abducting girls when alone.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
The call for the tool follows a recent case in which a man, while on shock probation, was accused of abducting a mother and her two children en route to a bank robbery.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Sep. 2025
And if abducting all the show's children wasn't enough of a cliffhanger, the season/series ended with Claire Bennigan (Lily Rabe) sacrificing herself to save her son.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 and abducting 251 people.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Florida on Tuesday put to death a man convicted of abducting a woman from an insurance office and fatally stabbing her.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Armond Langford is accused of abducting a family and robbing a bank in Louisville.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
The war, which has reduced much of the coastal enclave to rubble, began when thousands of Hamas operatives crossed into Israel, killing and abducting hundreds.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The Poquianchis recruited young girls from nearby towns and farms, deceiving families with false promises of work or abducting girls when alone.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
The call for the tool follows a recent case in which a man, while on shock probation, was accused of abducting a mother and her two children en route to a bank robbery.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Sep. 2025
And if abducting all the show's children wasn't enough of a cliffhanger, the season/series ended with Claire Bennigan (Lily Rabe) sacrificing herself to save her son.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 and abducting 251 people.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Florida on Tuesday put to death a man convicted of abducting a woman from an insurance office and fatally stabbing her.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Armond Langford is accused of abducting a family and robbing a bank in Louisville.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
The war, which has reduced much of the coastal enclave to rubble, began when thousands of Hamas operatives crossed into Israel, killing and abducting hundreds.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abducting
kidnapping
Verb
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Police arrested a person suspected of kidnapping a man after luring him to a location with promises of a photography session.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Brandon Conley faces one count of kidnapping a minor and one count of theft by unlawful taking or disposition of auto between $1,000 and $10,000.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abducting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abducting. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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