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
Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
Shortly after Tate's killing, the duo returned to Texas where Sneed was charged with kidnapping and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Confronting one of the darkest chapters in Argentina’s history, the 1985 play by Eduardo Pavlovsky, a psychotherapist, writer and actor, is about a man caught up in the systematic kidnapping of children during a military dictatorship.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
The book is about a kidnapping scheme where the victim’s parents must kidnap another child to secure their own child’s release, creating a self-perpetuating chain of abductions.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
Braddy’s criminal history included convictions for robbery, kidnapping and attempting to kill a corrections officer by choking him.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Witherspoon has been charged with three felony counts of kidnapping and three misdemeanor counts of contributing the delinquency of a minor, court documents show.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Jan. 2026
The plot revolves around the murder of a businessman and kidnapping of his daughter (Sophie Marceau) by a megalomaniacal terrorist, Renard (Robert Carlyle), who, of course, is ex-KGB.
—Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Jan. 2026
Shortly after the kidnapping, Mexican authorities said Pardo’s kidnapping could have been related to cartel disputes in Sinaloa.
—Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Two teenage girls are charged with kidnapping a teenage boy after allegedly luring him into a basement and beating him for three hours in early November.
—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump’s bombing Venezuela and kidnapping its president for the country’s oil will be top news for days.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The drug-trafficking-as-armed-attack line simply doesn’t work—not as a justification for bombing fishing boats in international waters in the Caribbean, and not for invading a foreign country and kidnapping its president.
—Elie Mystal, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
Jury selection in the capital murder trial of Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and killing North Texas girl Athena Strand, began Thursday morning.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
Shortly after Tate's killing, the duo returned to Texas where Sneed was charged with kidnapping and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Confronting one of the darkest chapters in Argentina’s history, the 1985 play by Eduardo Pavlovsky, a psychotherapist, writer and actor, is about a man caught up in the systematic kidnapping of children during a military dictatorship.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
The book is about a kidnapping scheme where the victim’s parents must kidnap another child to secure their own child’s release, creating a self-perpetuating chain of abductions.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
Braddy’s criminal history included convictions for robbery, kidnapping and attempting to kill a corrections officer by choking him.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Witherspoon has been charged with three felony counts of kidnapping and three misdemeanor counts of contributing the delinquency of a minor, court documents show.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Jan. 2026
The plot revolves around the murder of a businessman and kidnapping of his daughter (Sophie Marceau) by a megalomaniacal terrorist, Renard (Robert Carlyle), who, of course, is ex-KGB.
—Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Jan. 2026
Shortly after the kidnapping, Mexican authorities said Pardo’s kidnapping could have been related to cartel disputes in Sinaloa.
—Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
Two teenage girls are charged with kidnapping a teenage boy after allegedly luring him into a basement and beating him for three hours in early November.
—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump’s bombing Venezuela and kidnapping its president for the country’s oil will be top news for days.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The drug-trafficking-as-armed-attack line simply doesn’t work—not as a justification for bombing fishing boats in international waters in the Caribbean, and not for invading a foreign country and kidnapping its president.
—Elie Mystal, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidnapping
Noun
-
The ticker might jump on news of a political abduction, distant revolts, or threats over Arctic resources, but the underlying story remains the same.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Advertisement The imprisonment and death of Aldo Moro There is a lot of ambiguity and speculation around the abduction and death of Aldo Moro, which lets The Big Fake turn conspiracy into suspenseful drama that keeps Toni close to the epicenter of the kidnapping.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prior to abducting the girl from her bed, Braddy, now 76, had been severely beating Candy's mother Shandelle Maycock, 22, and choked her to the point of unconsciousness multiple times, according to a brief filed in Florida Supreme Court and obtained by PEOPLE.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
-
After abducting the man, the kidnappers would become violent, cutting off fingers, ears, or nipples to pressure families into paying ransoms quickly, the Mexican officer says.—
Kevin Maurer,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Eventually, of course, ICE will go elsewhere, but as after a rape, the effects of their occupation will not end with ICE’s departure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The group included brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who face charges of rape and human trafficking overseas, and Nick Fuentes, an open antisemite and Holocaust denier.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kidnapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidnapping. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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