abduction

noun

ab·​duc·​tion ab-ˈdək-shən 

əb-

1

: the action of abducting : the condition of being abducted

2

archaic : the unlawful carrying away of a woman for marriage or sexual intercourse

Synonyms

• kidnaping
• kidnapping
• rape

Examples of abduction in a Sentence

discredited reports of abductions by aliens

Recent Examples on the Web

Yale’s lab has tracked these abductions for years now, and the group released its latest report on Tuesday, which shed more light on the scope and scale of Russia’s indoctrination efforts. —Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025

Researchers also note that alternative silencing tactics, such as abductions and criminalization, appear to be on the rise globally. —Simmone Shah, Time, 16 Sep. 2025

Last year has seen a sharp rise in attacks on schools in conflict zones around the world, resulting in the death, abduction and trauma of thousands of teachers and students. —Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025

The interweaving crime-movie and possible alien-abduction threads vining around the empty skeleton at this movie’s center never quite cohere, and on-camera interviews with any number of the criminal teens offer no emotional scaffold to grab onto. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin abdūctiōn-, abdūctiō "withdrawal, removal, allurement," from Latin abdūcere "to lead away" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at abduct

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for abduction

• adduction
• conduction
• construction
• deduction
• destruction
• eduction
• induction
• instruction
• obstruction
• production
• reduction
• seduction

Legal Definition

abduction

noun

ab·​duc·​tion ab-ˈdək-shən, əb- 

1

a

: the action of abducting

abduction of a robbery victim

b

: the tort or felony of abducting a person

2

: the unlawful carrying away of a wife or female child or ward for the purpose of marriage or sexual intercourse

Note: Sense 2 has its roots in common law. As statutorily defined, mainly in the nineteenth century, abduction was generally stated to include taking away or detention of a woman under a certain age, usually 16 or 18, with or without her consent or knowledge of her age.