variants
also kidnaped
as in captured
to carry away (as a person) forcibly or unlawfully
the child of the wealthy industrialist was kidnapped and held for ransom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also kidnaped
as in abducted
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kidnapped
Terry Collins, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Two years earlier, his son had been kidnapped and held for ransom outside Denver by a group of men claiming to belong to Tren de Aragua.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
His absence goes from a missing person to one presumed kidnapped, but no one seems to have a clue.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
In 2022, fighters kidnapped a government official and released propaganda videos.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
In the years leading up to the general election in 1999, my parents locked us in the house—the one-bedroom apartment on Ogunleye Street where my elder sister and I were born—because children were being kidnapped for money rituals.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
The thriller stars Nishijima and Gwei as a married couple in New York whose seemingly happy life unravels after their son is kidnapped, exposing hidden pasts and suppressed emotions.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
In December, a married couple was kidnapped by a group of undocumented migrants in their Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Heraty was kidnapped by a gang whose leader goes by the name Didi and operates in the Kenscoff, Furcy area of the capital.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
She was kidnapped two months later by the group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia linked to Iran, after leaving a cafe in Baghdad, according to her family.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Two years earlier, his son had been kidnapped and held for ransom outside Denver by a group of men claiming to belong to Tren de Aragua.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
His absence goes from a missing person to one presumed kidnapped, but no one seems to have a clue.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
In 2022, fighters kidnapped a government official and released propaganda videos.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
In the years leading up to the general election in 1999, my parents locked us in the house—the one-bedroom apartment on Ogunleye Street where my elder sister and I were born—because children were being kidnapped for money rituals.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
The thriller stars Nishijima and Gwei as a married couple in New York whose seemingly happy life unravels after their son is kidnapped, exposing hidden pasts and suppressed emotions.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
In December, a married couple was kidnapped by a group of undocumented migrants in their Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Heraty was kidnapped by a gang whose leader goes by the name Didi and operates in the Kenscoff, Furcy area of the capital.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapped
Verb
-
In the following months, they were seized at bus and train stations, beaten at a hospital and abducted by ambulance.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The attack killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Many ask themselves why Lebanon and Syria should remain trapped in the habits of the last few decades.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In people who are in comas, the mind might be aware but trapped.—
Andrea Gawrylewski,
Scientific American,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kidnapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapped. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share