as in to abduct
to carry away (as a person) forcibly or unlawfully
the child of the wealthy industrialist was kidnapped and held for ransom
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Recent Examples of kidnap
After escaping, the three men used a rideshare service and kidnapped the driver, the office said.
—
Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Relatives – mothers, sons and brothers – have been kidnapped and held for ransom.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Then comes a terrifying phone call claiming his son has been kidnapped.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
All four are charged with conspiring to kidnap and kill Moïse.
—Tania Francois, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kidnap
Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Relatives – mothers, sons and brothers – have been kidnapped and held for ransom.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Then comes a terrifying phone call claiming his son has been kidnapped.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
All four are charged with conspiring to kidnap and kill Moïse.
—Tania Francois, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kidnap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnap
abduct
Verb
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Florida executed a man Tuesday evening for the brutal 2008 rape and murder of a married mother of two young sons who called 911 and begged for help while tied up in her car after she was abducted.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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But Claude was already used to abduct the leader of Venezuela and send missiles to targets in Iran.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kidnap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnap. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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