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
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions.
—
ABC News, 11 May 2026
In short, there is no truly meaningful evidence here for aliens, alien visitations, alien abductions, or anything like that.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Its work, which launched just weeks after the full-scale invasion began, has helped both to quantify the scope of the abductions and to raise global awareness about Russia’s actions.
—Shahrzad Rasekh, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
The number comes from a 1999 Department of Justice report that used surveys to estimate missing children cases nationwide under broad definitions, including everything from abductions to runaways to brief scares where a kid gets lost for a couple of hours.
—Stephen Johnson, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The abductions started a little over a decade ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
This has occurred while the ground operation of incursions, checkpoints, village raids, and civilian abductions has continued at the same pace, the research said.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Viv Ansanm is a gang coalition that controls most of Port-au-Prince and the abductions took place near downtown Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Detectives quickly suspected that Prizzon was behind the abductions.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 11 May 2026
In short, there is no truly meaningful evidence here for aliens, alien visitations, alien abductions, or anything like that.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Its work, which launched just weeks after the full-scale invasion began, has helped both to quantify the scope of the abductions and to raise global awareness about Russia’s actions.
—Shahrzad Rasekh, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
The number comes from a 1999 Department of Justice report that used surveys to estimate missing children cases nationwide under broad definitions, including everything from abductions to runaways to brief scares where a kid gets lost for a couple of hours.
—Stephen Johnson, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The abductions started a little over a decade ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
This has occurred while the ground operation of incursions, checkpoints, village raids, and civilian abductions has continued at the same pace, the research said.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Viv Ansanm is a gang coalition that controls most of Port-au-Prince and the abductions took place near downtown Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Detectives quickly suspected that Prizzon was behind the abductions.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abductions
Noun
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In the '30s, when the Lindbergh baby was abducted, kidnappings and ransoms were so common that high-profile people often secured kidnapping insurance.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Gaff had also been previously convicted of second-degree assault for two violent rapes months after Weaver's murder.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
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Hospital is an oasis Inside the sprawling slum, where gang violence has left scores of children orphaned, rapes of women and girls are frequent and cholera, hunger and malnutrition remain entrenched, La Fontaine is widely seen as both an oasis and a lifeline.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abductions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abductions. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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