variants
also kidnaping
as in abduction
the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal
an alert system for the prompt reporting of juvenile kidnappings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
variants
also kidnaping
as in abducting
to carry away (as a person) forcibly or unlawfully
the child of the wealthy industrialist was kidnapped and held for ransom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kidnapping
Janay Reece, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Rene Arturo Lujan, 43, admitted to grabbing two girls on June 18 and June 20, 2024, leading to his arrest roughly two hours after the second kidnapping attempt.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
More than 20 years after her kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart is reclaiming her story.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Jesse Scott, 40, of Antioch, and Ryan Arnold, 27, of Bay Point, were charged with kidnapping, home invasion robbery, second-degree robbery and gun possession in a nine-count felony complaint, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Ensign detailed the criminal actions of Tren de Aragua, including murder, kidnapping, and rape, along with occupying apartment buildings, arguing these actions make the incursion by foreign nationals predatory.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 22 Jan. 2026
In early 2019, about nine months before his arrest for the murders, his ex-girlfriend accused him of stealing her laptop and cellphone, kidnapping and raping her.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Netflix revisits the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart and examines the roles of key figures involved in the case.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
In November 2009, Barzee struck a deal and pleaded guilty to kidnapping and transporting a minor across state lines, per the New York Times.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
Josh Meyer, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
Mitchell, now 72, was convicted in 2010 of kidnapping Smart and sentenced to life in prison.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The extent of the brutal injuries that Quatisha suffered were at the center of medical testimony presented in the ongoing death-penalty resentencing of Harrel Braddy, who was convicted almost two decades ago of killing Quatisha after kidnapping the girl and her mother.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Mitchell was convicted in 2010 of kidnapping Smart and sentenced to life in prison.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Faced with the sudden loss of millions of dollars in income, the cartels pivoted in the months after the election to kidnapping residents of Juárez.
—Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
Two teenage girls are charged with kidnapping a teenage boy after allegedly luring him into a basement and beating him for three hours in early November.
—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump’s bombing Venezuela and kidnapping its president for the country’s oil will be top news for days.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The drug-trafficking-as-armed-attack line simply doesn’t work—not as a justification for bombing fishing boats in international waters in the Caribbean, and not for invading a foreign country and kidnapping its president.
—Elie Mystal, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
Online, the advisory summary notifies tourists of the violent crimes that can take place, and can include homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery.
—Janay Reece, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Rene Arturo Lujan, 43, admitted to grabbing two girls on June 18 and June 20, 2024, leading to his arrest roughly two hours after the second kidnapping attempt.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
More than 20 years after her kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart is reclaiming her story.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Jesse Scott, 40, of Antioch, and Ryan Arnold, 27, of Bay Point, were charged with kidnapping, home invasion robbery, second-degree robbery and gun possession in a nine-count felony complaint, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Ensign detailed the criminal actions of Tren de Aragua, including murder, kidnapping, and rape, along with occupying apartment buildings, arguing these actions make the incursion by foreign nationals predatory.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 22 Jan. 2026
In early 2019, about nine months before his arrest for the murders, his ex-girlfriend accused him of stealing her laptop and cellphone, kidnapping and raping her.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Netflix revisits the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart and examines the roles of key figures involved in the case.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
In November 2009, Barzee struck a deal and pleaded guilty to kidnapping and transporting a minor across state lines, per the New York Times.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Putin's decades-long rule in Russia has included allegedly orchestrating dozens of murders of dissidents like Alexei Navalny, using the country as his personal piggy bank and kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian children.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
Mitchell, now 72, was convicted in 2010 of kidnapping Smart and sentenced to life in prison.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The extent of the brutal injuries that Quatisha suffered were at the center of medical testimony presented in the ongoing death-penalty resentencing of Harrel Braddy, who was convicted almost two decades ago of killing Quatisha after kidnapping the girl and her mother.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Mitchell was convicted in 2010 of kidnapping Smart and sentenced to life in prison.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Faced with the sudden loss of millions of dollars in income, the cartels pivoted in the months after the election to kidnapping residents of Juárez.
—Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
Two teenage girls are charged with kidnapping a teenage boy after allegedly luring him into a basement and beating him for three hours in early November.
—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump’s bombing Venezuela and kidnapping its president for the country’s oil will be top news for days.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The drug-trafficking-as-armed-attack line simply doesn’t work—not as a justification for bombing fishing boats in international waters in the Caribbean, and not for invading a foreign country and kidnapping its president.
—Elie Mystal, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping
Noun
-
The ticker might jump on news of a political abduction, distant revolts, or threats over Arctic resources, but the underlying story remains the same.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Advertisement The imprisonment and death of Aldo Moro There is a lot of ambiguity and speculation around the abduction and death of Aldo Moro, which lets The Big Fake turn conspiracy into suspenseful drama that keeps Toni close to the epicenter of the kidnapping.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prior to abducting the girl from her bed, Braddy, now 76, had been severely beating Candy's mother Shandelle Maycock, 22, and choked her to the point of unconsciousness multiple times, according to a brief filed in Florida Supreme Court and obtained by PEOPLE.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
-
After abducting the man, the kidnappers would become violent, cutting off fingers, ears, or nipples to pressure families into paying ransoms quickly, the Mexican officer says.—
Kevin Maurer,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Eventually, of course, ICE will go elsewhere, but as after a rape, the effects of their occupation will not end with ICE’s departure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The group included brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who face charges of rape and human trafficking overseas, and Nick Fuentes, an open antisemite and Holocaust denier.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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