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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of kidnapping
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
But a week after reporting the kidnapping, investigators arrested the couple at their Cabazon home after determining that Emmanuel was most likely dead and the couple had faked their story.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Aaron Deunte Ratliff, 37, was arrested May 23 and charge with 10 felonies, including five counts of first degree kidnapping and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, the Anson County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 25 news release.
—Mark Price
may 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
One of his life sentences was for ordering the kidnapping and subsequent strangulation of the 12-year-old son of a witness in the Falcone case, whose body was then dissolved in acid.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office conducted the raid on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping — but found nothing with which to incriminate or charge Afroman.
—Andrew Graham
may 28, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
Under colonial rule hijras were accused of acting as male prostitutes and of kidnapping and castrating children to grow their community.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
The latter category lists such risks as crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor public health care facilities.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Janel Parrish, Leslie David Baker and Erinn Hayes lead a forthcoming feature centering on a kidnapping.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Frobisher responded by kidnapping an Inuk man by luring him to the boat with a bell.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Deepfake technology has exploded, leading to crimes ranging from kidnapping to business email compromise.
—Tom Kellermann, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Is kidnapping by your potential girlfriend's dad a dealbreaker for the relationship?
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 25 May 2026
This week, he was arrested for the fourth time this year in Miami-Dade on one count of molestation of a child younger than 12 involving a defendant age 18 or older and one count of kidnapping a child under 13 to commit a lewd and lascivious act, court records show.
—Sofia Saric
may 20, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
In 1996, Davis was convicted of killing and kidnapping Klaas, and received a death sentence.
—Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
The article described a wealthy Bogotá family kidnapping their housekeeper under the pretext of protecting her through strict safety protocols.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 16 May 2026
Schools as a grassroots power base also helps explain why the people of Minneapolis were able to mount a disciplined and effective defense against ICE when its agents began kidnapping their children on their way to and from school.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Noun
Yes, Stolen Baby is based on the real-life murder of Broussard and the kidnapping of her daughter, Margo Elizabeth Carey.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
But a week after reporting the kidnapping, investigators arrested the couple at their Cabazon home after determining that Emmanuel was most likely dead and the couple had faked their story.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Aaron Deunte Ratliff, 37, was arrested May 23 and charge with 10 felonies, including five counts of first degree kidnapping and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, the Anson County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 25 news release.
—Mark Price
may 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
One of his life sentences was for ordering the kidnapping and subsequent strangulation of the 12-year-old son of a witness in the Falcone case, whose body was then dissolved in acid.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office conducted the raid on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping — but found nothing with which to incriminate or charge Afroman.
—Andrew Graham
may 28, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
Under colonial rule hijras were accused of acting as male prostitutes and of kidnapping and castrating children to grow their community.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
The latter category lists such risks as crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor public health care facilities.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Janel Parrish, Leslie David Baker and Erinn Hayes lead a forthcoming feature centering on a kidnapping.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Verb
Last month, a Santa Monica man, also unaffiliated with the university, was charged with kidnapping a female UCLA student in March to try to rape her.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Frobisher responded by kidnapping an Inuk man by luring him to the boat with a bell.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Deepfake technology has exploded, leading to crimes ranging from kidnapping to business email compromise.
—Tom Kellermann, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Is kidnapping by your potential girlfriend's dad a dealbreaker for the relationship?
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 25 May 2026
This week, he was arrested for the fourth time this year in Miami-Dade on one count of molestation of a child younger than 12 involving a defendant age 18 or older and one count of kidnapping a child under 13 to commit a lewd and lascivious act, court records show.
—Sofia Saric
may 20, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
In 1996, Davis was convicted of killing and kidnapping Klaas, and received a death sentence.
—Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
The article described a wealthy Bogotá family kidnapping their housekeeper under the pretext of protecting her through strict safety protocols.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 16 May 2026
Schools as a grassroots power base also helps explain why the people of Minneapolis were able to mount a disciplined and effective defense against ICE when its agents began kidnapping their children on their way to and from school.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping
Noun
-
What’s behind the mass abduction of Nigerian children?—
TheWeek,
TheWeek,
22 May 2026
-
The father, who is separated from their mother, previously went to the police in France and reported her for child abduction, while the mother's family reported her disappearance on May 11.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CBS News in an exclusive interview that his government has evidence that Russia is abducting Ukrainian children and training them to fight against fellow Ukrainians.—
Margaret Brennan,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
Tension reaches a breaking point when the children vanish, abducting the town’s youth, including Daniel’s stepdaughter.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
As a school-leaving-age young woman in 2012, simple maths dictates that she must have been conceived around the time of a conflict that was also defined by the use of mass rape as a weapon of war.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
26 May 2026
-
Inspired by Gisèle Pelicot ’s decision to make her harrowing drug and rape trial public, the parents of the children agreed to open the proceedings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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