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
Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Authorities have not determined if the glove is connected to the kidnapping.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Four years later, he was charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment, but the case was also dismissed, court records show.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The biggest reason is, of course, he’s been leading (with the FBI) the investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mom, for 19 days now.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
The police are still treating Nancy Guthrie’s case as a kidnapping.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Feb. 2026
Like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping nearly a hundred years ago and the OJ Simpson case thirty years ago, the public remains obsessed with crime and celebrity.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
In December 2024, André’ was charged in a criminal complaint in the District of Colombia in connection with the ransom kidnapping.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
The kidnapping had been staged.
—Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Machado accused authorities of kidnapping Guanipa with heavily armed men in civilian clothes, raising fresh concerns about political persecution despite recent prisoner releases.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Hall had been convicted of kidnapping 15-year-old Jessica Roach from Georgetown, Illinois, in September 1993.
—Audrey Abrahams, NBC news, 1 Feb. 2026
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
Noun
Attorney Warren Lupel, who represented Gary Dotson, a Chicago-area man who went to prison after being convicted of rape and kidnapping but was freed after the woman who accused him of those crimes recanted her testimony, has died.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Authorities have not determined if the glove is connected to the kidnapping.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Four years later, he was charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment, but the case was also dismissed, court records show.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The biggest reason is, of course, he’s been leading (with the FBI) the investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mom, for 19 days now.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
The police are still treating Nancy Guthrie’s case as a kidnapping.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Feb. 2026
Like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping nearly a hundred years ago and the OJ Simpson case thirty years ago, the public remains obsessed with crime and celebrity.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
In December 2024, André’ was charged in a criminal complaint in the District of Colombia in connection with the ransom kidnapping.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
The kidnapping had been staged.
—Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
Federal prosecutors accused 34-year-old Dennis Williams of trafficking five young victims, including a 15-year-old girl, and kidnapping two of them.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Machado accused authorities of kidnapping Guanipa with heavily armed men in civilian clothes, raising fresh concerns about political persecution despite recent prisoner releases.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Hall had been convicted of kidnapping 15-year-old Jessica Roach from Georgetown, Illinois, in September 1993.
—Audrey Abrahams, NBC news, 1 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping
Noun
-
Bitcoin payments continue to play a role in the quest for clues about the whereabouts of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old whose mysterious abduction earlier this month has captivated the nation.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Nanos has said the case is being investigated as an abduction rather than a burglary gone wrong.—
David Matthews,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Another Jefferson County circuit judge, Jessica Green, last year drew local and national criticism after granting shock probation to a 32-year-old man accused of abducting a mother and two children and stabbing the mother during a bank robbery.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Five days later, she was found alive – and authorities arrested a local suspect who was familiar with the family and her grandson’s construction company, abducting her to get $3 million ransom.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beer that turned green − possibly a chemical reaction with the drugs Dominque Pelicot had been slipping into her drinks and food to render her unconscious for the rapes.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
By publicly reclaiming her identity, Pelicot sparked a global reckoning about rape culture, consent and accountability.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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