as in kidnappings
the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal
discredited reports of abductions by aliens
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Recent Examples of abductions
In one of the largest mass abductions targeting religious worship centers in the West African nation in recent months, the attackers on Sunday raided three different churches in Kaduna state's Kajuru council area, seizing 177 people before 11 managed to escape.
—
Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
Composite sketches of a suspect were released after some witnesses, under hypnosis, claimed to have seen a man at the site of the Tim King abductions but those leads did not materialize.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Wine alleged fraud and abductions, then escaped a military raid.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Broadcasters, law enforcement and advocates in North Texas soon developed a rapid public notification system designed to mobilize immediate attention in high-risk child abductions.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Jan. 2026
In 2017 and 2018, Sinha traced fifty-four cases of mob violence in India—mainly following spurious reports of child abductions—that had been catalyzed by WhatsApp groups.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
All but a handful of media workers' killings and abductions remain unsolved.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Justice Department opinion allows ‘forcible abductions’ abroad In ordering Noriega’s removal, the White House relied on a 1989 legal opinion by then-Assistant Attorney General Bill Barr, issued six months before the invasion.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
These scams do not involve real abductions.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
Composite sketches of a suspect were released after some witnesses, under hypnosis, claimed to have seen a man at the site of the Tim King abductions but those leads did not materialize.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
Wine alleged fraud and abductions, then escaped a military raid.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Broadcasters, law enforcement and advocates in North Texas soon developed a rapid public notification system designed to mobilize immediate attention in high-risk child abductions.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Jan. 2026
In 2017 and 2018, Sinha traced fifty-four cases of mob violence in India—mainly following spurious reports of child abductions—that had been catalyzed by WhatsApp groups.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
All but a handful of media workers' killings and abductions remain unsolved.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Justice Department opinion allows ‘forcible abductions’ abroad In ordering Noriega’s removal, the White House relied on a 1989 legal opinion by then-Assistant Attorney General Bill Barr, issued six months before the invasion.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
These scams do not involve real abductions.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abductions
rapes
Noun
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During the nine-month-long ordeal, the then-14-year-old was subjected to daily rapes and endured physical abuse and starvation.—
Stephanie Kaloi,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
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Assaults involving several attackers accounted for 65% of the rapes.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abductions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abductions. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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