variants
also kidnaping
as in hijacking
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping
Verb
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The war, which has reduced much of the coastal enclave to rubble, began when thousands of Hamas operatives crossed into Israel, killing and abducting hundreds.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2025 -
The continuing attacks have been accompanied by the burning of buildings and a rise in kidnappings, with gang suspected of abducting people to use as human shields against police drone attacks.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Kevin — whose 45th birthday is Saturday — remains missing, a rare unsolved case of an infant abduction by a stranger, one of about a dozen such cases still active across the country, according to Angeline Hartmann, spokesperson for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 2025
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The Amber Alert system is a child abduction emergency alert protocol used throughout the United States to enlist public assistance in locating missing and endangered children.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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