Synonyms of kidnapping

kidnapping 1 of 2

noun

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

• abduction
• rape
• hijacking
• snatch
• seizure
• impressment
• shanghaiing

kidnapping

2 of 2

verb

variants also kidnaping

present participle of kidnap

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

• abducting
• capturing
• seizing
• snatching
• running off with
• making off with
• hijacking
• stealing
• crimping
• making away with
• waylaying
• impressing
• spiriting
• shanghaiing
• absconding (with)
• taking
• catching
• copping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rescuing
• delivering
• returning
• ransoming
• restoring
• redeeming

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of kidnapping

Noun

Angela Diaz pleaded guilty in October 2017 to charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, forgery, perjury, grand theft and falsely reporting crimes. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026

Season 9 will kick off in the wake of the kidnapping cliffhanger. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 July 2026

Angela pleaded guilty in 2017 to multiple felonies, including kidnapping, false imprisonment and perjury, and was sentenced to five years in state prison. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026

Lozano Flores is being held at the Ada County Jail on suspicion of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16, first-degree kidnapping, and resisting and obstructing an officer. — Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026

The state also plans to put to death another elderly inmate, 68-year-old former cop James Duckett, on the same day for the 1987 kidnapping and murder of an 11-year-old girl. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 24 July 2026

The Sacramento Bee readers saw coverage spanning labor organizing, a high-profile kidnapping case and a fight over how California describes a voter ID measure on the ballot. — Ruyuan Li. Summary Produced By Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026

Maduro has called himself a prisoner of war and his capture a kidnapping. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

In 2017, Angela pleaded guilty to charges including false imprisonment, falsely reporting crimes, and kidnapping—based on her attempt to send Michelle to prison. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 22 July 2026

Verb

Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Monday but did not enter pleas to charges of kidnapping a federal employee and aiding and abetting. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 21 July 2026

Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his adult son were charged with kidnapping a federal employee after a standoff that stretched from late morning into the early hours of the next day. — Ruyuan Li. Summary Produced By Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Henrichsen will be charged with kidnapping a federal employee, investigators said. — Alex Stone, ABC News, 17 July 2026

He was found not guilty of kidnapping his ex but was convicted of domestic battery by strangulation. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

And the surviving cartel scoundrels take the parting shot by kidnapping beloved Carter, putting a hood on him and taking the boy off. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026

One of the other six defendants, Emily Motyka, pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping charges earlier this month, MacBride said in a June 2 statement. — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

On the morning of dueling public marches (now also featuring gay-rights activists), Roche, who has moved to the area temporarily, succeeds in kidnapping Cantrell. — Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 13 June 2026

Things get complicated when the vampire captured for the ritual kills several Council members and escapes, kidnapping Buffy’s mother to lure the Slayer to the Sunnydale Arms building. — ArsTechnica, 7 June 2026